01/2026

INFO Eduard is a monthly scale model-historical magazine published in Czech and English by Eduard Model Accessories since 2010. The magazine is available for free on the Triobo platform and can be downloaded in PDF format. Eduard is a manufacturer of plastic models and accessories with over 30 years of tradition. Throughout its history in the plastic modeling industry, Eduard has become one of the world's leaders. Further details about the company and its product range can be found at www.eduard.com. You can subscribe to the INFO magazine and receive product information for free at: https://www.eduard.com/cs/info-eduard/

• Strana 1

  INFO Eduard

  e-magazine FREE Vol 25 January 2026

  # 191

• Strana 2

  INFO Eduard

  e-magazine FREE Vol 25 January 2026

  # 191

  © Eduard - Model Accessories, 2026

  FREE FOR DOWNLOAD, FREE FOR DISTRIBUTION!

  This material may only be used for personal use. No part of the text

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• Strana 3

  eduard

  eduard

  JANUARY 2026

  CONTENT

  Published by Eduard-Model Accessories, spol. s.r.o.

  Mírová 170, Obrnice 435 21

  support@eduard.com www.eduard.com

  EDITORIAL

  KITS

  BRASSIN

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED SETS

  SPACE

  BUILT

  ON APPROACH

  –

  February 2026

  TAIL END CHARLIE

  ARTICLES

  BOXART STORY

  Spitfire Story: The Sweeps Limited 1/72

  Avia S-199 bubble canopy HYBRiD 1/48

  P-51B/C Mustang Birdcage canopy Weekend 1/48

  Fw 190A-8 ProfiPACK 1/48 Re-Release

  15,000th 1/48

  Avia S-199 ERLA canopy 1/48

  EFKA 1/48

  Spitfire Mk.V

  The Rebirth of a Canadian Junkers

  Letecká vojna nad Ukrajinou

  -

  Smrť vzácnych vtákov

  In the service of the Gendamerie

  Medal of Honor

  4

  6

  36

  38

  60

  74

  76

  86

  92

  105

• Strana 4

  Good day, Dear Friends

  Welcome to the new year! In addition to the usual

  wishes of much happiness, health and well-

  being, I also wish you a lot of modeling successes,

  many new inspirations and a sufficient supply

  of kits and accessories. I can promise you that

  we will do everything to ensure that you have

  a regular supply of them from us. The January

  newsletter is usually about what we have in

  store for you in the upcoming year. I am now

  a little worried that I will not actually have much

  fresh off the presses information for you today,

  since much of what is coming has already been

  revealed at E-day, but perhaps you will still find

  something. So let's get to it.

  Hybrid

  The new Hybrid series, combining plastic

  with 3D printed parts, had its premiere at E-day

  in the form of our new 48th scale Avia S-199

  and a 1:72nd Enstrom 490. I probably won't

  surprise anyone when I admit that we chose

  these essentially off-the-wall types because

  we wanted to test the concept of the new

  series on them, find out what works and what

  doesn't according to the original conceptual

  assumptions and what will need to be changed.

  I dare say that most of the elements on these

  projects turned out as we expected. It turns out

  that there is not much point in producing very

  small parts via 3D printing. This does not give

  the modeler much of an advantage, the details

  are not that much better, and it is more difficult

  to separate such parts from the print supports.

  It is precisely the separation from the supports

  and cleaning of the parts that is problematic,

  especially for modelers without previous

  experience with 3D parts. 3D printing of complex

  cockpit and landing gear leg assemblies is far

  more effective. These items can be designed

  and produced to an exceptionally high level of

  detail, with the details integrated into one or

  a few basic larger parts. They do not need to be

  designed or manufactured as separate small

  glue-together parts, which saves time for both

  us and the modeler. And that time is not small.

  Here Hybrid brings significant advantages

  and technological progress. It is similar with

  landing gear legs and wheels. We will stick to

  this method of production of landing gear legs,

  as it has proven itself. And at the same time,

  we will expand their availability within

  aftermarket accessory production.

  What does provide a bit of a dilemma are

  seats with integrated seat belts. These were

  received positively by some of the modeling

  public, and as is often the case, negatively by

  another. The negative part is louder than usual,

  but it seems that the ratio between them is in

  around that fifty-fifty ratio. To tell the truth, we

  do not want to fight for a long time to promote

  this innovation, but we also do not want to back

  down from it, because we think it is a good

  innovation. But you can't break through a wall

  with your head and we have a lot of experience

  with customer resistance to new products.

  So we are looking for a reasonable solution,

  within which we try to avoid the option with

  two alternative seats as much as possible.

  We are currently working on separate printed

  belts, glued to the seat. However, we do not have

  a definitive result as yet.

  So then the obvious question becomes what

  specific kits await us in the Hybrid series?

  Already in January, the next release being

  worked on is the second production version of

  the Avia S-199 in 1:48th scale, the one with the

  bulged sliding canopy. It follows on from the

  first version and differs in a few small details, of

  course the canopy and its accessories. We have

  also modified some of the problematic parts of

  the first version, we have strengthened some,

  added protective covers to minimize breakage

  and adjusted the packaging method. In February,

  we are releasing the first version, the S-199 Erla,

  already in its second re-edition. The kit is selling

  well and this gives us hope for a good future for

  the Hybrid series.

  This year, it will be mainly about kits in

  1:32 scale. The closest to release is the P-51B

  Mustang. It will be in two basic versions, with

  a birdcage canopy and a Malcolm hood. The first

  release of the Mustang will be in the Limited

  Edition series. I already pointed out that we will

  go this way with the Hybrid series during the

  detailed introduction of this idea at last year's

  E-day. This initial Limited Edition release will be

  based on the Overlord/D

  -

  Day Mustangs that was

  the subject of a 48th scale Limited Edition kit

  earlier. The composition of the markings will be

  the same as in that kit and the content will of

  course correspond to the Hybrid series standard.

  The subsequent kits will all be Hybrids, in which

  the composition of the markings will more or

  less correspond to the 48th scale Profipack

  releases. The first 1:32nd scale Mustang should

  be released as a new product in May.

  Another project in the Hybrid series is the

  Spitfire Mk.IX, also in 1:32nd scale. I am already

  working on more than two production versions

  within this project. We will gradually release

  the early F.Mk.IX Spitfires, then the LF.Mk.IXc

  main production version, and,of course, also the

  Mk.IXe and, as with the previous 48th scale kits,

  the Mk.VIII including the high-altitude HF.Mk.VIII.

  In this case too, there will be Limited Edition

  releases, again following in the footsteps of

  their 48th scale little brothers. So count on the

  Czechoslovak Mk.IX Spitfires from the The Boys

  Are Back Limited Edition, and the Australian

  Spitfire Mk.VIII in the Aussie Eighth Limited

  Edition. If all goes well, the first 32nd Spitfire

  will be released as a July new release and will

  have its premiere at E-day. And while we are on

  the subject of Spitfires, we will not stop with the

  design work on the eights and nines, but we will

  also make the Spitfire Mk.XII and Mk.14. In this

  case, however, we will start with projects in 1:48

  scale, so that we don't have only 1:32 scale items

  popping up in the new release category.

  The third project we are working on in the

  Hybrid series is the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A. As part

  of this project, we will release all versions of

  the Fw 190 A from the A-2 to the A-8, including

  the Fw 190 A-9/R2 and the Fw 190 F-8 fighter/

  bomber. We will then continue with the Fw 190

  D-9. We are also quite far along in terms of the

  design work with the Focke-Wulfs, and I think

  that the first of them, the Fw 190 A-8/R2, could

  be on the market sometime in the last quarter

  of this year.

  The Classics

  In the Hybrid series, we have quite a few

  projects in preparation that are based on older

  48th scale releases. And we will not neglect

  this classic kit either. In the advanced stages of

  preparation, which means that we are already

  working on the molds, we have the 1:72nd

  scale MiG-21R and Bf 109 K-4. The Bf 109 K-4

  should be a new item for March in the form of

  a Kurfürst Limited Edition, and we are counting

  on the MiG-21R for May or June. We will release

  EDITORIAL

  INFO Eduard4

  January 2026

• Strana 5

  the R version first as a Limited Edition, in this

  case with a book by Martin Janoušek, dedicated

  to the Czechoslovak service life of the MiG-21R.

  We will continue with the 1:72nd scale

  Spitfires. First in April or May we will release

  the Spitfire Mk.Vc in the Profipack range, then

  we will continue with Limited Edition kits based

  on the Mk.Vb of various versions, and the Mk.Vc.

  These will include Eagle's Call, dedicated to

  American Spitfires, followed by Spitfire Story:

  Southern Star dedicated to the tropical Mk.Vb

  and Mk.Vc versions. We will follow them up with

  the Spitfire Mk.I and Mk.II both in the Profipack

  ange and as Limited Edition releases, which

  will again follow from the 48th scale versions

  released previously..

  As for 48th scale news, we are working on

  the P-40K. We will release it in both short and

  long versions in the second half of the year in

  both the Limited Edition and Profipack ranges.

  Another upcoming new item this year involves

  the MiG-15 family. We have the MiG-15 ready

  in both the basic MiG-15 and the MiG-15bis

  versions. The set of parts also includes parts

  for the Czechoslovak specific ground attack

  versions of the MiG-15SB and MiG-15bisSB.

  The first kit of the 48th scale MiG-15 will be

  released at the very end of the year, in November

  or December. We also have the design drawn up

  for a two-seat MiG-15UTI training version ready

  for the future, but we will probably incorporate

  this into the Hybrid series.

  Reboxes

  We have quite a few Limited Edition

  releases planned that will make use of other

  manufacturers’ plastic. Just a gnat’s hair from

  being released is ‘Alien’, a Mi-35 in 1:48 scale.

  We published a lot about that in December,

  so I assume you know what it is. We sold 720

  pieces through pre-orders, the rest of the total

  circulation of 1000 pieces will go to selected

  retailers, where those who do not trust pre-

  orders or had other reasons for holding back

  will still have an opportunity to get their hands

  on this unique item. We will most likely ship

  the kits at the beginning of February. I do not

  know the exact date yet, because it is not yet

  clear how quickly the printing of decals with

  integrated positive riveting will go. We know

  that this is a complex technology that is not fully

  tested, and therefore it is not clear exactly how

  long the production will take. It may happen that

  we will ship these kits in January, but that is still

  uncertain.

  In February we should also ship ‘Strafers’,

  the HKM Eduard B-25J Mitchell in 1:48th scale.

  The plastic is on its way to us, they are now

  going by train and should now be somewhere in

  Turkey, maybe even somewhere in the Balkans.

  And to top it all off, we also have plastic for the

  48th scale F/A-18C from Kinetic on the way. This

  will be included as part of April’s new releases.

  Other upcoming projects include a 48th scale

  A-20G Havoc and a B-25J Mitchell with a glass

  nose. This kit will be an extension of the 72nd

  scale Angel of Mercy release, with the same

  markings.

  Accessories

  I expect our accessory production to

  undergo a radical transformation this year.

  It is in response to technological changes and

  the associated changes in demand and sales.

  To make a long story short, we are selling fewer

  and fewer photoetched items and cast resin

  Brassin sets. Demand has shifted to 3D prints

  and Space sets. So, last year we retrained

  most of our PE designers to 3D design, and

  as you know, we are expanding our 3D printer

  farm to increase our 3D printing capacity. It is

  not an easy matter, it also involves building

  modifications and changes in the organization

  of work, but we are working hard on it and with

  a clear goal in mind. This does not mean that

  we will stop the production of photoetched sets

  altogether. There are still types of etchings

  that are in demand, for example, colored steel

  seatbelts are still selling very well. We will also

  leave the photoetched compnents in kits, in the

  Profipack and in the Limited Edition releases.

  They are also interesting for some new kits, and

  flaps are also selling well. So PE is far from

  being done, but overall we will purposefully

  reduce them and we will carefully choose which

  etched sets we will release for production.

  E-day and Other Events

  We have mentioned E-day quite a bit in the

  recent past and all of that is quite clear. I'll just

  recap that this year's E-day will take place from

  June 26th to 28th at the Zahrada Čech exhibition

  center in Litoměřice. And it will be two days,

  or rather two and a half days, opening on Friday

  afternoon.

  Monthly Info Newsletter

  and the EMD

  Our regular monthly newsletter will continue

  more or less unchanged, it will just take on

  some of the columns intended for the EMD,

  which is ending this month. If I had to briefly

  explain why the EMD is ending, it is because

  it is not profitable for us. It sells too little to

  sustain itself in its present form. When we

  started with EMD, we believed that, given the

  readership figures of our regular monthly,

  the EMD could be a commercially interesting

  project. But that did not come true. The truth

  is that readers do not want to pay for Internet

  content, even at relatively small costs.

  We were unable to break through this block,

  so we decided to end the project and devote

  the time spent on it to something more useful.

  For example, the publications that come with

  many of oour Limited Edition releases. There is

  a lot of interest in those.

  Model Exhibitions

  On Saturday, January 10th, we will be in

  Prostějov at an event organized by the on-line

  retailer MN Modelář. We will be giving lectures

  there about much of what you have just read,

  a large part of which will be dedicated to 3D

  printing and the Hybrid series. At the end of

  January, from the 27th to the 31st, we will be in

  Nuremberg at the Spielenwaren Messe, as we

  do every year at this time. We still haven't given

  up, even though we are one of the few who are

  still at the fair. If you are going to Nuremberg,

  stop by for a coffee and let’s chat.

  And that will be it for me for now. I hope you

  enjoy this month’s newsletter, and I wish you all

  happy modeling!

  Vladimir Sulc

  EDITORIAL

  INFO Eduard

  5

  January 2026

• Spitfire Mk.V Technical development part 2

  Summary of the previous part: At the turn of 1940–1941, the RAF came

  under pressure from the rapid technical development of German -

  ghters. The arrival of the new Bf 109, Bf 109 F, and Fw 190 A variants

  posed a threat of technical and performance superiority for the Luft-

  wae. The RAF‘s main ghter type, the Spitre in the Mk.I and Mk.II

  versions, was beginning to lag behind the German types, and it was

  clear that it was high time for a major modernization and performance

  upgrade.

  After trying out several dead ends, the practical solution proved to

  be the installation of the Merlin 45 engine, structurally similar to

  the older Merlins, into the Spitre Mk.I airframe. This modernization

  enabled the rapid introduction of the new type into production and

  the conversion of existing Spitre Mk.I and Mk.II aircraft. This led to

  the creation of the Spitre Mk.V series, which was produced and con-

  verted into several versions from the outset and gradually became

  the backbone of the RAF Fighter Command. Production took place

  simultaneously at several manufacturers and at a tremendous pace,

  which led to the intermingling of versions, non-standard combinations

  of equipment, and considerable variability between individual aircraft.

  During more than two years of production, the Spitre Mk.V

  underwent continuous modications – from reinforced armor, changes

  in armament, cooling, and radio equipment to modernization of the

  cockpit, landing gear, and wings. Modications to the engines optimi-

  zed for dierent altitudes, the development of carburetors, and the

  introduction of additional fuel tanks to extend the range were also of

  fundamental importance. In tropical areas, special lters were used,

  which slightly reduced performance but signicantly increased opera-

  tional reliability in the area.

  The development of the Spitre Mk.V was neither straightforward nor

  entirely systematic. It was the result of wartime pressure, improvisa-

  tion, lack of time and materials, and eorts to deliver a sucient

  number of powerful aircraft to the front as quickly as possible. The

  apparent technical chaos was in fact a natural consequence of total

  war, in which quantity, speed, and responsiveness were as important

  as technical quality itself.

  The development of the Spitre Mk.V can be divided into two basic

  stages. The rst stage, comprising the Spitre Mk.Va and Mk.Vb in all

  its production variants, represents the installation of the Merlin 45

  engine (and its variants) in the virtually unchanged airframe of the

  Spitre Mk.I and Mk.II, respectively. The second stage, represented by

  the Spitre Mk.Vc, brought more signicant design changes, primarily

  to the wings and landing gear, as well as a greater degree of stan-

  dardization in the production of the aircraft, which was subsequently

  manufactured in large series at several production plants. The Spitre

  Mk.Vc was also the platform for the installation of the new powerful

  Merlin 61 engine, which led to the creation of the Spitre Mk.IX, the

  rst versions of which began to arrive at RAF units in mid-1942.

  The full text describing the development of the Spitre Mk.V and the

  characteristics of the Va and Vb variants can be found in the rst part

  of the article (Info No. 190 – December 2025). Today‘s second part will

  introduce you to the development and versions of the Spitre Mk.Vc.

  The previous part of the article on the technical development of the Spitre Mk.V dealt with the Mk.Va and Vb vari-

  ants. The current part concludes with the Mk.Vc variant and its special tropicalized modication for the conditions

  of the Mediterranean and Far Eastern regions.

  Spitre Mk.Vc. This aircraft was manufactu-

  red by Westland factory in September 1942.

  (photo: Simon Erland)

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard6

  January 2026

• Strana 7

  Summary of the previous part: At the turn of 1940–1941, the RAF came

  under pressure from the rapid technical development of German -

  ghters. The arrival of the new Bf 109, Bf 109 F, and Fw 190 A variants

  posed a threat of technical and performance superiority for the Luft-

  wae. The RAF‘s main ghter type, the Spitre in the Mk.I and Mk.II

  versions, was beginning to lag behind the German types, and it was

  clear that it was high time for a major modernization and performance

  upgrade.

  After trying out several dead ends, the practical solution proved to

  be the installation of the Merlin 45 engine, structurally similar to

  the older Merlins, into the Spitre Mk.I airframe. This modernization

  enabled the rapid introduction of the new type into production and

  the conversion of existing Spitre Mk.I and Mk.II aircraft. This led to

  the creation of the Spitre Mk.V series, which was produced and con-

  verted into several versions from the outset and gradually became

  the backbone of the RAF Fighter Command. Production took place

  simultaneously at several manufacturers and at a tremendous pace,

  which led to the intermingling of versions, non-standard combinations

  of equipment, and considerable variability between individual aircraft.

  During more than two years of production, the Spitre Mk.V

  underwent continuous modications – from reinforced armor, changes

  in armament, cooling, and radio equipment to modernization of the

  cockpit, landing gear, and wings. Modications to the engines optimi-

  zed for dierent altitudes, the development of carburetors, and the

  introduction of additional fuel tanks to extend the range were also of

  fundamental importance. In tropical areas, special lters were used,

  which slightly reduced performance but signicantly increased opera-

  tional reliability in the area.

  The development of the Spitre Mk.V was neither straightforward nor

  entirely systematic. It was the result of wartime pressure, improvisa-

  tion, lack of time and materials, and eorts to deliver a sucient

  number of powerful aircraft to the front as quickly as possible. The

  apparent technical chaos was in fact a natural consequence of total

  war, in which quantity, speed, and responsiveness were as important

  as technical quality itself.

  The development of the Spitre Mk.V can be divided into two basic

  stages. The rst stage, comprising the Spitre Mk.Va and Mk.Vb in all

  its production variants, represents the installation of the Merlin 45

  engine (and its variants) in the virtually unchanged airframe of the

  Spitre Mk.I and Mk.II, respectively. The second stage, represented by

  the Spitre Mk.Vc, brought more signicant design changes, primarily

  to the wings and landing gear, as well as a greater degree of stan-

  dardization in the production of the aircraft, which was subsequently

  manufactured in large series at several production plants. The Spitre

  Mk.Vc was also the platform for the installation of the new powerful

  Merlin 61 engine, which led to the creation of the Spitre Mk.IX, the

  rst versions of which began to arrive at RAF units in mid-1942.

  The full text describing the development of the Spitre Mk.V and the

  characteristics of the Va and Vb variants can be found in the rst part

  of the article (Info No. 190 – December 2025). Today‘s second part will

  introduce you to the development and versions of the Spitre Mk.Vc.

  The previous part of the article on the technical development of the Spitre Mk.V dealt with the Mk.Va and Vb vari-

  ants. The current part concludes with the Mk.Vc variant and its special tropicalized modication for the conditions

  of the Mediterranean and Far Eastern regions.

  Spitre Mk.Vc. This aircraft was manufactu-

  red by Westland factory in September 1942.

  (photo: Simon Erland)

  Figure 26:

  1. New C type wing

  3. 7.7 mm caliber Browning machine guns

  4. Design to accommodate either 20 mm cannon or 12.7 mm

  machine gun

  5. 20 mm caliber Hispano belt-fed cannons

  6. Two piece gun well cover with narrow bulge on the inner part

  7. Flat upper wing skin missing the bulge above wheel well

  Spitre Mk.Vc

  Spitfire Mk.Vc

  Figure 25

  1. New C type wing

  2. New landing gear with increased rake

  11. Exhausts missing the pipe of the guns hot air heating system

  Spitre Mk.Vc

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  7

  January 2026

• Strana 8

  Figure 27:

  8. Hot air weapons heating system replaced with the electrical one

  9. Cannon wells covers missing the large bulge

  10. New wheel well with slanted side walls and elliptical outline

  Spitre Mk.Vc

  Spitre Mk.Vc

  (photo: Simon Erland)

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard8

  January 2026

• Strana 9

  Figure 27:

  8. Hot air weapons heating system replaced with the electrical one

  9. Cannon wells covers missing the large bulge

  10. New wheel well with slanted side walls and elliptical outline

  Spitre Mk.Vc

  Spitre Mk.Vc

  (photo: Simon Erland)

  Spitfire Mk.Vb and Mk.Vc landing gear and wheel wells comparison

  Figure 28:

  1. Spitre Mk.Vb landing gear

  2. Spitre Mk.Vc landing gear. The change in rake resulted in the

  wheel location 5 cm forward of the wing span axis compared to

  Spitre Mk.Vb and dierent wheel well outline.

  Figure 29:

  1. Spitre Mk.Vb circular outline wheel well

  2. Spitre Mk.Vc oval outline wheel well

  Spitre Mk.Vb

  Spitre Mk.Vc

  Spitre Mk.VcSpitre Mk.Vb

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  9

  January 2026

• Strana 10

  Spitfire Mk.Vc (Westland)

  Figure 30:

  1. Dierent versions of Rotol propeller used

  Spitre Mk.Vc Westland

  12. Large pentagonal bulge over the gun well, typical for West-

  land, license-built Spitres

  A Westland built Spitre Mk.Vc with large large West-

  land type bulges and two smal Malta type bulges on the

  wing upper surfaces. Note the heating pipes back to the

  exhaust (photo: Simon Erland).

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard10

  January 2026

• Strana 11

  Spitfire Mk.Vc (Westland)

  Figure 30:

  1. Dierent versions of Rotol propeller used

  Spitre Mk.Vc Westland

  12. Large pentagonal bulge over the gun well, typical for West-

  land, license-built Spitres

  A Westland built Spitre Mk.Vc with large large West-

  land type bulges and two smal Malta type bulges on the

  wing upper surfaces. Note the heating pipes back to the

  exhaust (photo: Simon Erland).

  Spitfire Mk.Vc with four 20 mm Hispano cannons

  Figure 31:

  1. 7.7 mm caliber Browning machine guns were not installed

  Spitre Mk.Vc, 4 cannons

  2. Four Hispano Mk.2 cannons in the weapon wells

  3. Weapon wells upper covers feature large oval bulge

  Spitre Mk.Vc with four

  Hispano Mk.II cannons

  (photo: Simon Erland)

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  11

  January 2026

• Strana 12

  Figure 32:

  4. Weapon wells lower covers missing little bulges and shell ejec-

  tion openings

  Spitre Mk.Vc, 4 cannons

  Spitre Mk.Vc with four

  Hispano Mk.II cannons

  (photo: Simon Erland)

  5. Weapon wells covers featuring two shell ejection openings

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard12

  January 2026

• Strana 13

  Figure 32:

  4. Weapon wells lower covers missing little bulges and shell ejec-

  tion openings

  Spitre Mk.Vc, 4 cannons

  Spitre Mk.Vc with four

  Hispano Mk.II cannons

  (photo: Simon Erland)

  5. Weapon wells covers featuring two shell ejection openings

  Spitfire LF Mk.Vc

  Figure 33:

  1. Standard LF Mk.V shortened wing tips

  Drop tanks

  Figure 34:

  1. 30 gallon drop tank. All later Spitre versions were equipped

  with these tanks. Spitre Mk.Vc in the picture features Vokes

  dust lter and four 20 mm Hispano Mk.2 cannons

  Spitre LF Mk.Vc

  Spitre Mk.Vc Trop (Vokes) with 30 gal drop tank

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  13

  January 2026

• Strana 14

  Figure 35:

  1. The same aircraft with 90 gallon drop tank attached

  Figure 36

  1. 90 gallons drop tank

  Spitre Mk.Vc Trop (Vokes) with 90 gal. drop tank

  Spitre Mk.Vc Trop (Vokes)

  with 90 gal. drop tank

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard14

  January 2026

• Strana 15

  Figure 35:

  1. The same aircraft with 90 gallon drop tank attached

  Figure 36

  1. 90 gallons drop tank

  Spitre Mk.Vc Trop (Vokes) with 90 gal. drop tank

  Spitre Mk.Vc Trop (Vokes)

  with 90 gal. drop tank

  Spitfire Mk.Vc Malta

  Figure 37:

  1. Four Hispano Mk.2 cannons. Many MK.Vc Spitres delivered to

  Malta were equipped with four cannons. During the combat

  deployment two cannons were usually fairly quickly removed

  and the aircraft operated with two cannons only. If two 7.7 mm

  caliber Browning machine guns were added at the same time

  cannot be conrmed from the available records.

  2. Vokes dust lter

  3. Large tropical oil cooler (not all aircraft featured it)

  Figure 38:

  4. A bulge on the upper wing skin. It was documented on several

  Malta deployed airframes. Their purpose remains unknown

  Spitre Mk.Vc Malta

  Spitre Mk.Vc Malta

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  15

  January 2026

• Strana 16

  Spitfire Mk.Vc late

  Figure 39:

  1. Exhausts feature the individual pipes, typical for later Spitres

  Mk.IXc

  2. A number of Westland-built airframes featured the ush-riveted

  rear fuselage as opposed to the standard raised rivets used

  Figure 40:

  1. Skin reinforcement above the wheel well. These reinforcements

  were not only installed on Spitres Mk.V but on the other Spit-

  re versions as well, typically after their overhaul having accu-

  mulated a certain number of ight hours. The skin reinforce-

  ment prevented the skin damage in the wheel well area where

  it was extremely stressed during the takeos and landings and

  there was a risk of its collapse due to the fatigue

  Spitre Mk.Vc late

  Spitre Mk.Vb with skin reinfor-

  cement above the wheel well

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard16

  January 2026

• Strana 17

  Spitfire Mk.Vc late

  Figure 39:

  1. Exhausts feature the individual pipes, typical for later Spitres

  Mk.IXc

  2. A number of Westland-built airframes featured the ush-riveted

  rear fuselage as opposed to the standard raised rivets used

  Figure 40:

  1. Skin reinforcement above the wheel well. These reinforcements

  were not only installed on Spitres Mk.V but on the other Spit-

  re versions as well, typically after their overhaul having accu-

  mulated a certain number of ight hours. The skin reinforce-

  ment prevented the skin damage in the wheel well area where

  it was extremely stressed during the takeos and landings and

  there was a risk of its collapse due to the fatigue

  Spitre Mk.Vc late

  Spitre Mk.Vb with skin reinfor-

  cement above the wheel well

  Spitfire Mk.Vc with bomb attachments

  Figure 41:

  1. Underwing bomb attachments with 113 kilos bombs. Under the

  fuselage attachment for 226 kilos bomb was also used.

  Figure 42:

  1. Underwing bomb attachments with 113 kilos bombs

  Spitre Mk.Vc with

  bomb attachments

  Spitre Mk.Vc s pumovými

  závěsníky (FB Mk.Vc)

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  17

  January 2026

• Strana 18

  Spitfire Mk.Vc Trop with Aboukir type 2 dust filter

  Figure 44

  1. Rotol propeller

  2. Lower engine cowling modied

  3. Shortened wing tips for the low level operations. These shorte-

  ned wingtips are typical of the tropicalised Spitre Mk V, which

  was modied at Aboukir. They have a dierent shape to the

  standard shortened wingtips found on factory-produced Spit-

  re LF Mk Vb and Vc aircraft.

  4. Aboukir type 2 (later design) dust lter

  5. Large tropical oil cooler

  Spitre Mk.Vc Trop

  with Aboukir type

  2 dust lter

  Spitre Mk.Vc late with

  bomb attachments

  Spitfire Mk.Vc late with bomb attachments

  Figure 43:

  1. Underwing bomb attachments with 113 kilos bombs

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard18

  January 2026

• Strana 19

  Spitfire Mk.Vc Trop with Aboukir type 2 dust filter

  Figure 44

  1. Rotol propeller

  2. Lower engine cowling modied

  3. Shortened wing tips for the low level operations. These shorte-

  ned wingtips are typical of the tropicalised Spitre Mk V, which

  was modied at Aboukir. They have a dierent shape to the

  standard shortened wingtips found on factory-produced Spit-

  re LF Mk Vb and Vc aircraft.

  4. Aboukir type 2 (later design) dust lter

  5. Large tropical oil cooler

  Spitre Mk.Vc Trop

  with Aboukir type

  2 dust lter

  Spitre Mk.Vc late with

  bomb attachments

  Spitfire Mk.Vc late with bomb attachments

  Figure 43:

  1. Underwing bomb attachments with 113 kilos bombs

  Figure 45:

  1. Rotol propeller

  2. Lower engine cowling modied

  3. Shortened wing tips for the low level operations. These shorte-

  ned wingtips are typical of the tropicalised Spitre Mk V, which

  was modied at Aboukir. They have a dierent shape to the

  standard shortened wingtips found on factory-produced Spit-

  re LF Mk Vb and Vc aircraft.

  4. Aboukir type 2 (later design) dust lter

  5. Large tropical oil cooler

  The Spitre Mk.Vb ER622 of No. 40 Squadron SAAF was manufactured at the

  CBAF factory in September 1942. It served in North Africa sporting shortened

  wingspan tted with Aboukir-type wingtips and Aboukir-type tropical lter.

  It was decommissioned from the RAF on 30 April, 1943, and was sold to Turkey

  in February 1945. Note the gun heating pipe behind the rear exhaust pipe, typi-

  cal for the late Spitres Mk.Vb (phto: IWM via Wikimedia Commons).

  Spitre Mk.Vc Trop

  with Aboukir type 2

  dust lter

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  19

  January 2026

• Strana 20

• Strana 21

• The Rebirth of a Canadian Junkers

  Professor Hugo Junkers‘ company was a highly progressive airplanes‘ manufacturer. For example, as early as the First World War it was already mass-producing all-metal combat airplanes-at a time when wood and fabric still unquestionably dominated other aviation designs.

  Professor Hugo Junkers‘ company was

  a highly progressive airplanes‘ manufacturer.

  For example, as early as the First World War it

  was already mass-producing all-metal combat

  airplanes-at a time when wood and fabric

  still unquestionably dominated other aviation

  designs.

  This article, however, focuses the post-

  war aviation, more precisely, a single-engine

  transport airplane that was operated in the

  harsh and inhospitable Canadian tundra. Her

  factory designation was Junkers F 13gle,

  construction number 2050, and she was

  registred as CF

  -

  ALX. She was built at the

  beginning of 1930, sold to Canada in May of that

  year, and registered there the same month. Her

  owner became the Air Land Manufacturing

  Company, which used her together with her

  sister airplane CF

  -

  AMX—for the operational

  tasks in support of mining activities. Given the

  then poorly developed infrastructure of rural

  Canada, it is hardly surprising that the airplane

  was equipped with floats, allowing it to land on

  many local lakes and other waterways. As of

  June 1930, the airplane was christened City of

  Prince George.

  The company operated the airplane for

  full three years before it was sold, on May

  17th, 1933, to the merchant and farmer Victor

  Spencer of Vancouver, Canada, who was also

  active in the mineral industry. Likewise the

  previous owner, he used her for a similar range

  of tasks-not for long though.

  Her sudden demise came on Sunday, July

  23rd 1933, about 120 kilometers north of Lake

  Takla, near Lake McConnell in the province of

  British Columbia. After takeoff, the aircraft

  lost altitude due to descending air currents,

  clipped the treetops, and subsequently made

  a forced landing in a rocky terrain. The pilot

  was William McCluskey, the flight mechanic

  Fred Staines, and there were two passengers

  on board. Fortunately, the accident claimed

  no lives; all four occupants were only slightly

  injured, but the aircraft itself was effectively

  a write-off. Despite the remoteness of the

  location, some parts of the aircraft were later

  salvaged.

  After the accident, the wreck laid at the

  site for many decades virtually untouched,

  until in the summer of 1981 it was recovered

  by several enthusiasts and transported to the

  storage facilities of the Royal Aviation Museum

  of Western Canada (RAMWC) in Winnipeg,

  Manitoba.

  After many years in storage, in 2006 a loan

  and restoration agreement was reached with

  the Berlin Technical Museum. This was followed

  by the airplane‘s transport aboard a Lufthansa

  MD-11 freighter from Chicago to Frankfurt am

  Main, from where it was transported on the

  ground to Berlin. The cargo airplane was flown

  by Captain Claus Cordes, who, incidentally, is

  also a pilot of the vintage Junkers airplanes

  such as the sport A 50 or the transport Ju 52.

  In addition he also flew the Lockheed Super

  Constellation.

  After several years on display in Berlin, the

  Junkers wreck was transported to Hungary,

  The Rebirth

  of a Canadian Junkers

  Petr Uzsák

  Photos: Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard22

  January 2026

• Strana 23

  where it underwent a long and demanding

  restoration to her original condition. This work

  was carried out in Héreg near Budapest, home

  to a well-known workshop specializing in the

  vintage aircraft restoration. Their work can be

  seen in many museums.

  Following its return to Canada in September

  2024, the final finishing work was completed.

  In order to preserve her historical authenticity,

  the float landing gear was reinstalled in May

  2025, and in this configuration the Junkers

  is now on display in the RAMWC museum in

  Winnipeg. Unfortunately, the airplane currently

  lacks the engine. Regardless, she makes an

  extraordinary impression in the exhibition.

  The Junkers F 13 left an indelible mark on

  the world aviation and it can be said outright

  to have been one of the airplanes that helped

  transform the commercial air transport. This

  was primarily due to its advanced all-metal

  design, operational reliability and sturdiness

  which also contributed to the promotion

  of the aviation as a whole. Her successors

  included, for example, the single-engine W 34

  and the three-engine G 23/24, and the most

  famous Ju 52. In total, around 320 airframes

  of the “Thirteen” were produced between 1919

  and 1930. Other surviving original airplanes

  can be found, for example, at the Air and

  Space Museum in Le Bourget near Paris, the

  Deutsches Museum in Munich, or the Transport

  Museum in Budapest.

  In the pre-war Czechoslovakia, two

  examples of the “Thirteen” were in use—one

  with Czechoslovak registration and another

  with a German one. In 1932, the footwear

  businessman Tomáš Baťa was killed while

  aboard on one of these airplanes.

  Modeler’s note: 1/48 scale replica of this

  airplane can be built from the recently

  released MiniArt plastic model.

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard

  23

  January 2026

• Strana 24

  REPORTÁŽ

  INFO Eduard24

  January 2026

• Strana 25

  ®

  The Premier Source for Eduard in the USA

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  Head over to Squadron.com to see why modelers

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• Strana 26

• Strana 27

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  in British Military & foreign air arm service

  £18.00

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  No.1 Republic P-47 Thunderbolt £19.00

  No.2 Messerschmitt Bf 109 £25.00

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  No.6 Dambusters and the Lancaster £20.00

  This latest Warpaint title covers the Aero L-39 Albatros, a a Czech-designed jet

  trainer and light attack aircraft developed by Aero Vodochody during the 1960s as a

  successor to the L-29 Delfín. It first flew in 1968 and entered service in 1972, becoming

  the standard jet trainer for Warsaw Pact nations. With over 2,900 units built, the L-39

  became one of the most widely used jet trainers globally, praised for its reliability, ease

  of maintenance, and versatility. Building on this legacy, the L-159 ALCA (Advanced Light

  Combat Aircraft) was introduced in the late 1990s, developed to replace aging Soviet-era

  fighters in the Czech Air Force, first flying in 1997 and entering service in 2000. This

  authoritative and highly relevant title includes all the regular Warpaint features with

  historical text and images, a full breakdown of the aircraft’s widespread global service,

  and artwork an scale drawings by Petr Kolmann.

  Aero

  LL--3399,, LL--5599,, LL--113399

  &&

  LL--115599 AAllbbaattrrooss

  By Jakub Fojtík

  Ph.D.

  Due to the withdrawal of the type from Czech and Slovak air forces and

  problems with delivery to Egypt, Tunisia became the sole operator of

  the L-59 worldwide. A more advanced variant of the L-39 Albatros,

  designed for the training and light attack roles, Tunisia operated a

  small fleet of L-59Ts, often used for pilot training and tactical missions.

  In January 2023, the very last L-59T flight took place, and the type was

  decommissioned after nearly thirty years of service.

  WARPAINT SERIES No.149

  _Warpaint Master 27/08/2025 10:54 Page 82

  The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was one of those aircraft that was either loved or hated- there

  was no middle ground. Forged in a hurry for the forthcoming war the Helldiver was designed

  in a hurry, built by mostly by under skilled personnel while being bombarded by the customer

  with their extra changes and demands. Even under this pressure Curtiss managed to

  produce a prototype that flew, even though it would soon reveal strength and build

  problems. This is what prototypes are for, however, the first production model, the Dash-1,

  was beset by many problems that saw one carrier captain demanding that the Helldivers

  be removed and the off loaded Douglas Dauntless dive bombers be reinstated. From the

  SB2C-3 onwards, after undergoing a full modification programme, a competent combat

  aircraft would emerge. Used throughout 1944/45 the Helldiver squadrons, now operating

  from the fast carriers, took the war to the Japanese all the way to Tokyo. Post 1945 the

  Helldiver would stay on active service until replaced by the Douglas AD-1 Skyraider.

  Overseas usage would see later build models being operated by France, Greece, Italy

  ,Portugal and Thailand. The Royal Navy also formed a single squadron that would

  never deploy on active service. Undergoing flight testing in Britain, Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown

  would declare that the Helldiver was the worst aircraft he had ever flown. Wriiten by

  Kev Darling with artwork and scale drawings by Sam Pearson.

  All these titles are available in printed format via our on demand printing service. Please contact our office for further information.

  £20.00

  Orders from the world’s book

  and hobby trade are invited

  Previous Warpaint titles

  £25.00

  Warpaint Special No.7

  Curtiss

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  Written by Kev Darling

  Artwork by Sam Pearson

  WARPAINT SPECIAL No.7

  arpaint Special No7 Helldiver.qxp_Warpaint Master 07/07/2025 15:11 Page 114

  New

  release

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  Warpaint series No.149

  Warpaint 149 L-39 + Sp 7 Helldiver.qxp_Warpaint Advert 27/08/2025 13:32 Page 1

• Air War over Ukraine - Death of Rare Birds

  In today’s installment of the series, we look at the period from 1 November 2025 to 30 November 2025. During an attack on the Beriev plant in Taganrog, Russia lost two unique test aircraft in the monitored month: the Beriev A-60 and the Beriev A-100LL.

  Miro Barič

  Death of Rare Birds

  In today’s installment of the series, we look at the period from 1 November 2025 to

  30 November 2025. During an attack on the Beriev plant in Taganrog, Russia lost two

  unique test aircraft in the monitored month: the Beriev A-60 and the Beriev A-100LL.

  The Air War in Ukraine

  On the ground front, Russian pressure

  continued at several locations. The most

  critical situations were around Pokrovsk and

  Myrnohrad in Donetsk Oblast, Huliaipole in

  Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and Kupiansk in Kharkiv

  Oblast. In the case of the latter, on Thursday,

  20 November, Russian General Sergey

  Kuzovlev even announced in a live television

  broadcast to Putin that the city had been

  completely captured—allegedly as early as

  4 November—and received a decoration for it.

  However, this was not true. Only small Russian

  units (estimated at around 200 soldiers) had

  infiltrated Kupiansk, and Ukrainian forces

  recaptured most of the city. When this

  deception came to light, General Kuzovlev

  disappeared and was later found dead.

  In the other mentioned cities, however,

  the situation was far worse for Ukrainian

  defenders. The reason was not only Russian

  pressure, which relied primarily on infiltration

  by small groups and disruption of the Ukrainian

  rear. Frontline positions were patched together

  by various units with poor coordination. When

  the enemy bypassed them on the flanks,

  withdrawal orders often did not arrive in time,

  and some units were lost as a result. Ultimate

  responsibility for this long-unresolved

  situation lies with the Commander-in-Chief

  of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr

  Syrskyi.

  On the very first day of the monitored

  period, Saturday, 1st of November, Ukrainian

  military intelligence special forces (GUR)

  attempted to reverse the unfavorable situation

  in Pokrovsk. During the operation, GUR chief

  Kyrylo Budanov was reportedly personally

  present in the city. From the perspective of the

  air war, it is particularly noteworthy that the

  operation included a helicopter deployment.

  GUR operates several UH-60 Black Hawk

  helicopters, including one purchased by

  donations from the Czech Republic and named

  Čestmír. It is unclear how many helicopters

  were used; drone reconnaissance footage

  captured only one. The mission of the special

  forces was to penetrate and clear supply

  routes within the city that had been infiltrated

  by Russian troops. The course and outcome of

  the operation remain unknown. Russia claims

  that all Ukrainian soldiers were killed shortly

  after disembarking from the helicopter, which

  Ukraine denies. While the mission was close to

  suicidal, the Ukrainians likely achieved some

  success, as the situation improved—albeit only

  temporarily.

  In this context, it is also notable that a few

  days later Czech pro-Russian disinformation

  actors began spreading claims that the Čestmír

  helicopter took part in the Pokrovsk operation

  and was shot down with all personnel on

  board. However, even the Russian side made

  no such claim—and Kremlin propaganda would

  certainly have exploited the downing of a Black

  Hawk. Russian statements only claimed that

  Ukrainian special forces were eliminated after

  landing during ground combat. No mention

  was made of a helicopter being destroyed.

  Moreover, the helicopter seen in the video

  shows different paint details and was likely

  not Čestmír at all.

  Russian Losses

  As far as aviation losses are concerned,

  November was a successful month for Ukraine.

  It suffered no known losses, while the Russian

  Air Force lost several aircraft. On Thursday,

  13 November, a Sukhoi Su-30SM2 fighter was

  destroyed. This loss was not directly related

  to combat in Ukraine, although years of war

  undoubtedly take a toll on aircraft condition

  and crew fatigue. The aircraft crashed at

  Besovets Air Base in Karelia, near the Finnish

  border, just a few hundred meters from the

  runway. Both pilots were killed. One was

  identified as Lieutenant Colonel Kirill Kartsev.

  Other Russian losses were directly caused

  by Ukraine. On Friday, 21 November, Ukrainian

  military intelligence GUR released video

  footage of a drone attack on a Kamov Ka-27

  helicopter at Prymorskyi Air Base in Crimea.

  The attack itself had occurred earlier, likely

  at the beginning of the month. Only drone

  footage was released; the aftermath was not

  documented by other means, such as satellite

  imagery.

  By contrast, the attack on Tuesday,

  25 November, is very well documented by both

  ground footage and satellite images. Ukrainian

  drones struck Taganrog-South Airfield on the

  coast of the Sea of Azov in Russia’s Rostov

  Oblast. This site is the G. M. Beriev Taganrog

  Aviation Scientific-Technical Complex, in other

  words, the Beriev factory. Satellite imagery

  revealed multiple hits on the assembly hall

  (holes in the roof) and two aircraft destroyed on

  the apron: a Beriev A-60 and a Beriev A-100LL.

  In both cases, these were experimental test

  aircraft based on the Ilyushin Il-76 transport

  platform.

  The A-60 originated in the late 1970s

  and early 1980s and was used to test laser

  weapons. Two examples were built; the aircraft

  destroyed in Taganrog carried the registration

  RA-86879. Its explosion was also captured on

  video. Officially, this A-60 was retired in 2016,

  Infiltration of the Ukrainian special forces from a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter near Pokrovsk.

  UKRAINE

  INFO Eduard28

  January 2026

• Strana 29

  but in 2020 reports emerged of new laser

  weapon development and testing, accompanied

  by fresh flight footage of the aircraft. In July

  2021, however, it was definitively grounded at

  the location where it was now destroyed.

  Just a few meters away stood the A-100LL,

  registration RF-93953, tail number “Red

  52,” which had been parked since December

  2023. The “LL” designation stands for Flying

  Laboratory. This aircraft was intended to

  test electronic systems for the successor to

  the A-50 airborne early warning and control

  aircraft. A true A-100 prototype was later built,

  after which the A-100LL was parked, although

  it is likely that ground tests continued.

  In both cases, these were unique aircraft that

  had largely already fulfilled their purpose and

  had been parked long-term. Their destruction

  therefore made sense primarily for propaganda

  purposes, boosting the prestige of Ukrainian

  drone units. From a military standpoint, the

  significance was limited. It is likely that the

  main target was the Beriev production hall, and

  the aircraft were destroyed simply because

  they had not moved for a long time. Their fixed

  coordinates allowed long-range drones to be

  dispatched with confidence that the targets

  would not relocate. In such deep strikes inside

  Russian territory, Ukrainians cannot remotely

  control drones and instead send them to

  pre-programmed coordinates.

  Attack on Ternopil

  Russia continued its systematic attacks on

  Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Among the

  many air raids that occurred almost every

  night, one stood out—the attack carried out

  in the early Wednesday morning, 19th of

  November. Russia launched 476 drones and

  48 cruise missiles, primarily targeting western

  Ukraine. The strike involved six Tu-95MS and

  four Tu-160MS bombers, which launched

  Kh-101 missiles. Ukrainian air defenses

  destroyed 442 drones and 41 missiles.

  It was these Kh-101 missiles from Russian

  strategic bombers that penetrated the

  Beriev A-100LL, photographed years ago on a Russian spotters’ website by a user named bonsai.

  Footage from a Ukrainian FPV drone during an attack

  on a Ka-27 helicopter in Crimea.

  Satellite image of Taganrog-South Airfield from 2024. The Beriev A-60 (left inset)

  and Beriev A-100LL (right inset) were already parked at that time.

  Satellite image showing the destroyed aircraft after an attack.

  Video still of the Beriev A-60 aircraft

  explosion.

  UKRAINE

  INFO Eduard

  29

  January 2026

• Strana 30

  city of Ternopil. In the final phase of flight,

  they deployed infrared decoys to reduce

  interception chances. Industrial facilities and

  energy infrastructure were hit, but two nine-

  story apartment buildings also suffered direct

  hits and were largely destroyed. Thirty-eight

  people were killed, including seven children,

  and more than one hundred were injured. This

  was one of the deadliest Russian air attacks

  since the start of the war.

  Meanwhile, Russian propaganda repeatedly

  claims that it strikes only military targets

  with surgical precision and causes no harm

  to civilians. The Kremlin clearly has a good

  teacher in the fight against “Nazism.” Who

  was it that said a lie repeated a hundred times

  becomes the truth? Was it the Nazi Goebbels?

  A Russian Kh-101 missile attack on apartment buildings in Ternopil killed

  38 civilians, including seven children.

  UKRAINE

  INFO Eduard30

  January 2026

• Strana 31

  Tanker Explosions

  On the Ukrainian side, a new type of attack

  appeared during the monitored period: naval

  drones targeting tankers of Russia’s shadow

  fleet. These vessels are scattered worldwide,

  often in questionable technical condition,

  and are used by Moscow to export oil under

  international sanctions. As a result, they

  cannot be insured or serviced in ports.

  In the Black Sea, on Saturday, 29 November,

  naval drones Sea Baby struck two tankers,

  Kairos and Virat. Both were empty and heading

  to Novorossiysk to load oil. Both ships were

  hit in the stern, where their engines and fuel

  tanks are located. Fires broke out on both

  vessels but were later extinguished, and the

  damaged tankers remained afloat.

  Another attack occurred in an unexpected

  location: the tanker Mersin was hit by four

  “external explosions” while anchored off the

  coast of Senegal in West Africa. As a result of

  the naval drone attack, the engine room was

  flooded.

  Ex-Slovak MiGs in Action

  Several new images appeared during the

  monitored period showing ex-Slovak MiG-29AS

  fighters, which Ukraine received in spring

  2023. They are thus still operational more than

  two and a half years later. Two photographs

  of two different aircraft were released, both

  equipped with pylons for guided bombs. One

  aircraft appears capable of carrying GBU-39

  SDB (Small Diameter Bomb) munitions, while

  the other has pylons for GBU-39 JDAM

  -

  ER

  (Joint Direct Attack Munition – Extended

  Range). The former Slovak aircraft have thus

  gained capabilities in Ukrainian service that

  they never had at home, as Slovak Air Force

  MiG-29AS fighters were not equipped for

  precision ground attack.

  At the same time, cockpit video footage was

  released showing an ex-Slovak MiG-29AS in

  action. The aircraft was flying a mission in

  the frontline area (likely a bombing mission)

  when it was targeted by Russian air-defense

  missiles. The pilot was forced to evade

  through a series of violent maneuvers at

  very low altitude. That it was a former Slovak

  Ukrainian naval drones attacking Russian tankers in the Black Sea.

  Damaged tanker the day after the fire was extinguished.

  Ukraine Mirage 2000.

  New images of the ex-Slovak MiG-29AS fighters. The characteristic antenna behind the cockpit,

  overpainted original markings, and heavily worn paint can be noticed.

  A cockpit video still of a wildly

  maneuvering ex-Slovak MiG

  UKRAINE

  INFO Eduard

  31

  January 2026

• Strana 32

  aircraft was confirmed by the BAE Systems

  AN/APX-113(V) IFF antennas, visible in front of

  the windscreen on the upper fuselage. Slovak

  MiG-29AS fighters received these during

  modernization in 2005–2006.

  Ground Equipment

  for Mirage 2000

  Ukraine is also preparing for the future

  strengthening of its air force. Some time

  ago, the Ukrainian Air Force received mobile

  mission-planning complexes for its F-16

  fighters, which constantly relocate between

  bases to avoid detection by Russian missiles.

  Not all airfields, however, are adequately

  equipped for Western fighters, so necessary

  equipment is transported by truck.

  After the F-16s, the Ukrainian Air Force

  has now received similar mobile ground

  support complexes for Mirage 2000-5F

  aircraft delivered from France. In addition,

  it has acquired mobile meteorological stations,

  further improving mission planning and

  preparation.

  In France, Ukrainian President Volodymyr

  Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel

  Macron signed a framework agreement on new

  air-defense systems and Rafale fighter jets

  on Monday, 17 November. At least regarding

  the fighters, this is similar to the agreement

  Zelenskyy signed a month earlier in Sweden

  on Gripen fighters—that is, an agreement

  on possible future deliveries. Should such

  purchases actually take place, they would

  form part of the post-war reconstruction

  of Ukraine’s air force. First, however,

  a sustainable peace must be achieved—not

  a Ukrainian capitulation along the lines of the

  November U.S. proposal, which, according to

  all available information, was dictated from

  the Kremlin.

  Ukrainian Mirage 2000-5F fighters received the mobile ground support equipment and meteorological stations.

  UKRAINE

  INFO Eduard32

  January 2026

• Strana 33

  A series of images of the Ukrainian MiG-29 fighters which belong to the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade.

  This Ukrainian drone failed to reach its target.

  Footage of its wreckage was published by Russian media.

  UKRAINE

  INFO Eduard

  33

  January 2026

• Strana 34

• Strana 35

• Strana 36

  #948012BOXART STORY

  The roots of the post-war Police Air Patrol of

  the Security Air Force in Czechoslovakia date back

  to the First Czechoslovak Republic. As early as

  the 1930s, the Gendarmerie Air Patrol (Četnické

  letecké hlídky - ČLH) was established, which was

  a relatively modern tool of the young Czechoslovakia

  state for the surveillance of its territory, especially

  its border areas. These units of the Ministry of the

  Interior were formally established on July 1, 1935,

  and were based on the Czechoslovak Air Police,

  which had been established by parliament shortly

  before (June 12, 1935). The main tasks of the ČLH

  were observation, search and communication

  activities, monitoring the state borders, searching for

  wanted persons, assisting in natural disasters, and

  supporting gendarmerie units in difficult-to-reach

  terrain. The ČLH did not constitute a separate armed

  force, but was closely linked to the army air force in

  terms of organization and personnel. The ČLH also

  played a special role during the May and September

  mobilizations of 1938, when their reconnaissance

  flights around the borders not only helped to monitor

  the situation in the border area of Nazi Germany, but

  also contributed to efforts to calm the hot situation

  in the Czechoslovak Sudetenland. The fact that these

  efforts were subsequently thwarted by the betrayal

  of Czechoslovakia's allies, and that the border areas

  were torn away from the country and annexed

  primarily to Germany, in no way detracts from the

  merits of the ČLH members during this tense period.

  After the German occupation in March 1939, the ČLH

  was disbanded. Some of its members subsequently

  left the country and joined the fight against Nazism,

  particularly as members the RAF.

  After the occupation and World War II,

  Czechoslovakia found itself in a completely new

  security and political situation. The restoration

  of state power after 1945 led to the creation of the

  National Security Corps (Sbor národní bezpečnosti

  - SNB), which included an air force component.

  The tradition of the ČLH was continued in 1945 by the

  National Security Air Force, renamed the Police Air

  Patrol of the Security Air Force in December 1947.

  Similar to the ČLH, its main task was to control the

  borders and support the security forces. While in

  the interwar period, the primary use of aircraft was

  for police and observation purposes, post-war tasks

  were linked to the problems of Czechoslovakia, which

  was still finding its feet in the turbulent years of

  1945–48. At that time, the main tasks were to protect

  Czechoslovak airspace, control civil air traffic, search

  for criminals, search service after air accidents,

  and provide rescue services in the event of natural

  disasters.

  From 1946 to 1948, a total of ten Security Air Force

  air patrols were established in Czechoslovakia. These

  air patrols were again deployed with an emphasis

  on the border areas. However, given the anticipated

  tasks, the interior was not neglected either. At that

  time, they were stationed in Prague, Pilsen, Carlsbad,

  Jičín, Brno, Olomouc, Bratislava, Rimavská Sobota,

  and Košice.

  The Police Air Patrol, began a completely new

  chapter after the communist coup in February 1948.

  Its tasks were adapted to the needs of the communist

  government, which was enslaving Czechoslovakia

  within the Eastern Bloc and, last but not least, to the

  needs of the emerging Iron Curtain.

  With the establishment of the Ministry of National

  Security in 1950 and the transfer of powers between

  the SNB and the army, or rather the military air force,

  the Police Air Patrol underwent a significant decline

  until it was abolished a day before the Christmas Eve

  1950.

  However, the spherical triangle, a specific variant

  of the Czechoslovak aircraft insignia used by the

  pre-war ČLH, did not disappear. In January 1951,

  the Security Flight was established, later renamed

  the Aviation Unit (Letecký oddíl) of the Ministry of

  the Interior, whose tasks were similar to those of

  the Police Air Patrol, but with greater emphasis

  on transport and courier activities, and from the

  1970s onwards also as support for the traffic police.

  Helicopters found wider application, gradually

  replacing classic aircraft. From the late 1980s, the

  aircraft of the Aviation Administration of the Federal

  Ministry of the Interior (as this unit was renamed in

  1979) were used increasingly for rescue and search

  operations. This is also the function and form in which

  we perceive the police helicopter fleet in the Czech

  Republic today.

  The use of Avia S-199 aircraft between 1947 and

  1950 represents a special chapter in the history of

  the Police Air Patrol. This type, which arose from

  post-war efforts to resume the production of fighter

  aircraft in conditions of a shortage of suitable engines,

  was originally intended primarily for the army air

  force. Its inclusion in the arsenal of the Police forces

  was largely a temporary solution, resulting from the

  availability of technology and the tense situation at

  the end of the 1940s, when the boundaries between

  military and police tasks were often blurred.

  The Police Air Patrol represented an important

  chapter in Czechoslovak aviation history.

  It combined the experience of the ČLH service during

  Czechoslovakia’s early years, with modern post-war

  technologies and, in the form of Avia S-199 aircraft,

  with technical compromises that were typical of both

  the post-war reconstruction of the state and the

  coming decades of the Cold War.

  Text: Jan Zdiarský

  Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  In the service of the Gendamerie

  INFO Eduard36

  January 2026

• Strana 37

  #84209

  BOXART STORY

  The boxart of the January P-51 release is

  symbolic in many respects, both for the deployment

  of this type over the Europe and for its pilot, Major

  James Howell Howard. The painting depicts

  Howard’s victory over a Bf 110 on 30 January 1944,

  thanks to which he became the first ace of the

  354th FG.

  “Jimmy” Howard was born in April 1913 to

  American parents living in Canton, China. His father

  worked as an ophthalmologist. When “Jimmy” was

  fourteen years old, the family returned to the USA

  and settled in St. Louis, Missouri.

  In 1937 James Howard graduated from college

  and intended to continue studying medicine,

  but ultimately decided to join the U.S. Navy.

  In August 1939, he became a naval aviator, with

  the rank of Ensign, and successively served with

  three different fighter units, including VF-6 aboard

  USS Saratoga.

  In June 1941, however, he joined the American

  Volunteer Group (AVG), known as Flying Tigers.

  During the fighting in China, as a flight leader

  within the 2nd Squadron of the AVG, he destroyed

  four Japanese aircraft on the ground, shot down

  two fighters, and was credited with a one-third

  share in the destruction of one reconnaissance

  aircraft.

  In January 1943, with the rank of Captain, he was

  assigned to the 332nd FS of the 329th FG. This was

  an operational training unit equipped with P-38s.

  It operated from several bases in California, and

  Howard served with it until May 1943. His next

  posting became the 354th Fighter Group, which

  was preparing in California for combat deployment

  with P-39s. James Howard assumed command

  of the 356th Fighter Squadron, replacing Capt.

  Charles Johnson, a veteran of combat over New

  Guinea. Howard inherited from Johnson a group of

  highly motivated pilots, but it was Howard himself

  who, through his rigorous leadership and a training

  program based on experience from the AVG, turned

  his airmen into a perfectly prepared, cooperative,

  and aggressive team.

  At the turn of October and November 1943, the

  354th FG sailed to Great Britain. At that time,

  American command in Europe decided that units

  equipped with P-51B Mustangs powered by Merlin

  engines would be administratively assigned to

  the 9th Air Force, but operationally subordinated

  to the 8th Air Force. The Mustangs were a key

  reinforcement for heavy bomber escorts.

  The first unit to receive Merlin-powered

  Mustangs was the 354th FG, which is why it earned

  the nickname “Pioneer Mustang Group”; this was

  not, however, an official combat designation.

  Its enthusiastic pilots were given only two weeks

  to convert to the new type!

  The unit actually took off for combat for the

  first time on 1 December according the dead-line.

  But its first confirmed aerial victory was scored

  only on its fifth mission, on 16 December, when

  Lt. Charles F. Gumm was credited with a Bf 109

  during a raid on Bremen.

  Before the end of 1943, James Howard also

  contributed to the first successes when he shot

  down a Bf 109 on 20 December. It is not clear,

  however, whether he achieved this victory in his

  personal aircraft marked AJ

  -

  A.

  Howard’s great day came on 11 January 1944,

  during the raid on Halberstadt and Oschersleben.

  On this mission he flew aircraft AJ

  -

  X and led the

  formation of the entire 354th FG. His task was to

  cover the bombers over the target. He sent one

  squadron ahead to cover the forward box and,

  with two squadrons, covered the rear boxes. After

  the first encounter with enemy fighters, Howard

  found himself alone, without his flight. Despite this

  disadvantage, he decided to stay with the bombers

  in the central part of the Combat Wing and, over the

  course of thirty minutes, attacked German aircraft

  within his reach a total of five times. Gradually,

  three of his Mustang’s machine guns ceased firing,

  but he managed to claim two Bf 110s and one

  Fw 190 as confirmed kills, one Bf 109 as a probable,

  and damaged another.

  During the hour-long battle, the Pioneer Mustang

  Group claimed 16 confirmed victories, 7 probables,

  and 19 damaged aircraft.

  After returning to England, the 401st BG reported

  in, having searched for the lone Mustang pilot that

  had defended them for thirty minutes against 30 to

  40 German aircraft. It was Howard, and the crews

  aboard the B-17 bombers testified that Howard

  had achieved six confirmed kills. Howard, however,

  refused any change to his claims.

  The modest Howard was somewhat taken aback

  by the press attention and took it poorly that the

  press officers forced him to use symbols of the

  Japanese aircraft he had destroyed on the ground

  beneath his cockpit.

  For his performance on 11 January 1944,

  James Howard was awarded the Medal of Honor

  on 5 June. He was the only fighter pilot on the

  Western European battlefield to receive the highest

  American decoration. When Lieutenant General

  Carl Spaatz presented it to him, Howard modestly

  told the press: “I seen my duty and I done it.”

  Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  Medal of Honor

  Text: Jan Bobek

  INFO Eduard

  37

  January 2026

• Strana 38

  #2154

  SPITFIRE STORY: The Sweeps

  DUAL COMBO

  1/72

  Limited edition kit of British WWII fighter aircraft Spitfire Mk.Vb in 1/72 scale.

  From the kit you can build Spitfires of pilots of different nationalities flying

  in the RAF fighting over the occupied west part of Europe.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 11

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  KITS 01/2026

  Product page

  INFO Eduard38

  January 2026

• Strana 39

  W3457, F/O James E. Johnson, No. 616 Squadron, RAF Tangmere, the United Kingdom, August 1941

  W3817, S/Ldr Richard M. Milne, No. 92 squadron, RAF Gravessend, the United Kingdomn,

  August-December 1941

  “Johnnie” Johnson was the Commonwealth’s

  most successful fighter ace with 41 confirmed

  kills. After pilot training in August 1940,

  he was briefly assigned to No. 19 Squadron

  and transferred to No. 616 Squadron in early

  September. In the spring of 1941, Tangmere Wing

  commander Douglas Bader chose him as his

  wingman in his four-man formation. After Bader

  was shot down and captured on August 9, 1941,

  Johnson had the words BADER’S BUS Co. STILL

  RUNNING painted on the left side of the fuel tank

  cover of his Spitfire W3457. On the right side of

  the fuselage, W3457 bore the inscription CYNON

  VALLEY, referring to the urban areas of Aberdare

  and Mountain Ash Glamorgan, which had paid

  for this Spitfire through a fundraising campaign.

  Preserved photographs confirm the application

  of the new Fighter Command camouflage valid

  from August 15, 1941, in shades of Dark Green,

  Mixed Gray, and Medium Sea Gray.

  “Dickie” Milne became an ace with No. 151

  Squadron during the Battle of Britain and

  was transferred to No. 92 Squadron based at

  Biggin Hill in mid-1941. Initially, he was serving

  as commander of A Flight but overtook the

  command of the entire Squadron in September.

  On January 19, 1942, he took command of

  No. 222 Squadron at North Weald and led

  it until May, when he ended his operational

  tour. In early January 1943, he was appointed

  commander of the elite wing at Biggin Hill.

  On March 14, 1943, after shooting down an Fw

  190, Dickie was shot down by an Fw-190A-4

  from II/JG 26 during a dogfight over Berck-Sur-

  Mer and was captured. After his liberation in

  May 1945, he was discharged from the RAF in

  1946 as a Wing Commander. During his wartime

  career, he shot down 15 enemy aircraft plus

  one probably and damaged 11. The Spitfire

  W3817, which Milne flew as commander of

  No. 92 Squadron, was a presentation aircraft

  from Wellinborough, acquired with funds raised

  by the Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph.

  It already bore the new Fighter Command

  camouflage in shades of Dark Green, Ocean Grey

  (Mixed Grey), and Medium Sea Grey. On the left

  side of the fuel tank cover, it bore the inscription

  “New Yorklin” and under the cockpit there were

  11 black and white crosses painted as killmarks.

  KITS 01/2026

  INFO Eduard

  39

  January 2026

• Strana 40

  BL973, F/Lt Stanislav Fejfar, No. 313 (Czechoslovak) Squadron, RAF Hornchurch,

  the United Kingdom, March-May 1942

  BM124, S/Ldr Brendan E. F. Finnucane, CO of No. 602 Squadron, RAF Kenley,

  United Kingdom, April 1942

  Stanislav Fejfar, a member of Czechoslovak

  Air Force before the war, flew as commander

  of 45th Fighter Squadron based in Slovakia

  during the Munich crisis. He scored his first two

  kills during the Battle of France as a member

  of Armee de l’Air flying MS.406 with GC I/6.

  On July 12, 1940 he arrived in Great Britain

  aboard the ship Neuralia. On September 9,

  he started his operational career as a Pilot

  Officer with No. 310 (Czechoslovak) Squadron

  RAF scoring his first out of three kills claimed

  during the Battle of Britain. On July 21, 1941,

  he joined No. 313 (Czechoslovak) Squadron as

  a F/Lt in the position of B Flight leader. Stanislav

  Fejfar perished on May 17, 1942, in the cockpit

  of Spitfire Mk.Vb BL973 during the Ramrod

  33 mission. He was shot down by Hptm. Josef

  Priller between Guines and Audebert in the

  northern France. A couple of days earlier Priller

  had also shot down Sergeant Karel Pavlík, author

  of Pluto the Dog nose art on Fejfar’s Spitfire.

  Spitfire s/n BM124 was a presentation aircraft

  donated to Britain by Queen Salote of Tonga

  and assigned to S/Ldr Brendan Finucane.

  It was delivered on March 14, 1942, and Finucane

  was flying with it continuously until June 18,

  1942, when he hit the ground with the tip of the

  wing while landing at Redhill. The aircraft was

  severely damaged, and although it was returned

  to the unit after extensive repairs, Finucane did

  not fly it again. He scored his last victories in

  its cockpit. Finucane’s BM124, was repainted on

  the upper surfaces in Dark Slate Grey / Extra

  Dark Sea Grey naval shades. Under the front

  badge, he had his personal Shamrock emblem

  and the fuselage letter W painted on. For

  propaganda purposes, the inscription QUEEN

  of SALOTE was painted on the fuel tank cover

  in May. As it later turned out, the inscription

  was not written correctly, and the Air Ministry

  submitted an amendment requesting that the

  photographs taken be changed from QUEEN of

  SALOTE to QUEEN SALOTE. The word “of” was

  thus roughly scraped off the negatives. Out of

  respect for the origins and traditions of No. 602

  Squadron, Finucane had the squadron’s emblem,

  a red Scottish lion rampant in a yellow shield,

  placed on the engine cowlings of the No. 602

  Squadron Spitfires. During his wartime career,

  Finucane achieved 32 aerial victories, becoming

  the third most successful Spitfire pilot during

  World War II.

  KITS 01/2026

  INFO Eduard40

  January 2026

• Strana 41

  BM324, F/Lt Bernard Dupérier (Baron Léon Sternberg de Armella),

  No. 340 (Free French) Squadron, RAF Westhampnett,

  West Sussex, the United Kingdom, July 1942

  BM564, P/O André M. A. F. Plisnier, No. 350 (Belgium) Squadron, RAF Redhill,

  Surrey, United Kingdom, summer - fall 1942

  Bernard Dupérier, whose real name was Leon

  Sternberg de Armella, enlisted in the Free

  French Air Force in New York on January 15,

  1941 under his mother’s maiden name. Having

  served with No. 242 and No. 615 Squadrons

  RAF, in October 1941 he joined No. 340 (Free

  French) Squadron (GC II/4 Ille-de-France) as

  B Flight (Versailles) leader. As of May 1, 1942,

  he assumed command of the whole squadron.

  From December 1942 he served at FAFL

  Headquarters. From August 30, 1943, he was

  given command of No. 341 (Free French)

  Squadron (GC III/2 Alsace) and from September

  1943 he commanded the Biggin Hill Wing. On June

  25, 1944, he was parachuted to Bretagne where

  he acted as a commander of 3. Headquarters of

  FFI. On August 6, 1944, during the liberation of the

  city of Saint-Brieuc he was severely wounded.

  He returned to the duty in April 1945. After

  the hostilities he worked in several positions

  including Air France director. In 1958 he entered

  the world of politics and in 1962 was elected

  member of Parliament. The white stripes on the

  nose and horizontal tail surfaces of his BM324,

  in which he scored two victories, pertain to the

  cancelled invasion operation Rutter scheduled

  for July 7, 1942. This markings are mistakenly

  attributed to the operation Jubilee in which

  No. 340 (Free French) Squadron also took part.

  Spitfire Mk.Vb BM564 flew with No. 350 (Belgium)

  Squadron from April 30, 1942 till December 27,

  1942. During this period all sixteen Spitfires of

  the unit sported presentation inscriptions from

  a list which allocated the inscription Léopoldville

  to BM564. This aircraft was almost exclusively

  flown by well-known Belgian pilot and ace

  P/O André Marie Alfred Frederick Plisnier who

  in its cockpit scored four kills, two during the

  operation Jubilee, landing at Dieppe on August

  19, 1942 and two more kills later in November.

  His total score during the war was six kills.

  The presentation inscription Léopoldville is

  also included in the later list of the Belgium

  presentation Spitfires and allocated to AA720.

  This aircraft flew missions briefly, from

  June 6, 1944 till June 10, 1944 when the pilot

  F/Lt Alec Alexander perished in it. At that time

  this airplane certainly sported the invasion

  stripes and its windshield probably featured the

  integrated armored glass. Apparently it didn’t

  sport anymore the nose art under the canopy.

  KITS 01/2026

  INFO Eduard

  41

  January 2026

• Strana 42

  EN951, S/Ldr Jan Zumbach, CO of No. 303 (Polish) Squadron, RAF Kirton in Lindsey,

  Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, September 1942

  EN824, F/Lt John Yarra, No. 453 Squadron RAAF, RAF Ipswich, Suffolk,

  United Kingdom, December 1942

  Jan Zumbach, a grandson of a Swiss emigrant,

  Swiss citizen himself, served with No. 111 Fighter

  Squadron of the Polish Air Force from 1938.

  After Poland was defeated he fought in the

  ranks of the French GCD I/55. On August 2, 1940,

  he joined No. 303 (Polish) Squadron with

  which he scored eight kills during the Battle

  of Britain. On May 17, 1942, he was given

  command of No. 303 (Polish) Squadron. From

  the end of September till December 1942 he flew

  Spitfire EN951, the former personal mount of

  Don Blakeslee from the USAAF 336th FS, 4th FG.

  The aircraft sported Zumbach’s personal

  emblem in the form of Donald the Duck nose

  art, known in several versions from several

  Zumbach’s Spitfires. During the war, in which

  end he was shot down and briefly imprisoned,

  Jan Zumbach’s total score was thirteen

  confirmed kills and five probables. His life after

  the war is no less colorful than during wartime.

  He engaged in the international arm dealing,

  often illegal, and fought as a mercenary in

  Africa, in the service of the insurgent forces in

  Katanga and later Biafra. He died under unclear

  circumstances in Paris on January 3, 1986.

  Nicknamed “Slim”, Yarra was one of the most

  successful pilots defending the island of Malta

  during the hot summer of 1942. During the tough

  battles for Malta he scored 12 kills. In September

  1942 he was promoted to Flight Lieutenant and

  assigned to the Australian No. 453 Squadron,

  part of the Hornchurch Wing, flying offensive

  raids over France. F/Lt Yarra’s fateful date came

  on December 10, 1942, when during the attack

  on a shipping at the Holland coast, his Spitfire

  EN824 was hit by AA fire and crashed into the

  sea. He tried to bail out of the damaged aircraft

  but was hit by the tail surfaces damaging his

  parachute, which did not fully deploy. Pilot’s

  body hit the sea surface falling from 300 meters.

  His brother Robert Ernest, fighter pilot as well,

  was also shot down by the AA fire and killed on

  April 14, 1944, while attacking the V-1 missiles

  launching pads at Ligescourt (operation Ramrod

  735).

  KITS 01/2026

  INFO Eduard42

  January 2026

• Strana 43

  W3518, S/Ldr Count Franz F. Colloredo-Mansfeld, CO of No. 132 Squadron,

  RAF Newchurch, Kent, United Kingdom,

  September 1943

  EN921, F/O Jackson E. Sheppard, No. 401 Squadron RCAF, RAF Biggin Hill,

  United Kingdom, October 1943

  An American citizen, Harvard University

  graduate, Franz Ferdinand Count of Colloredo-

  Mansfeld, was born in Rome, the son of an

  Austrian diplomat, Count Ferdinand Colloredo-

  Mansfeld (1878-1967) and his American spouse

  Eleonor, born Iselin. After 1918 the family settled

  in the USA. Before the USA entry into WWII,

  Franz Ferdinand volunteered for RAF where he

  achieved the rank of Squadron Leader and on

  August 15, 1943, he assumed the command of

  No. 132 Squadron. On September 9, 1943, flying

  Spitfire Mk.Vb W3518 he participated in the

  mock invasion operation Starkey which purpose

  was to create fear of invasion in the German

  Command and lure the German troops out of

  Italy and the Eastern Front to the West. On that

  occasion the wing tips were painted with black

  and white identification stripes, predecessors

  of the later well-known invasion stripes used

  during the operation Overlord. S/Ldr Franz

  F. Colloredo-Mansfeld perished in his Spitfire

  Mk.IX near Berck-sur-Mer on January 14, 1944.

  “Jack” Sheppard, originally a dock worker,

  enlisted in the RCAF in 1939 and till August 1940

  served with No. 120 Squadron. In August 1941 he

  completed the pilot training at No. 53 OTU and in

  November 1941 was assigned to No. 43 Squadron.

  In December he volunteered for the convoy

  escorts. On February 10, 1942, he crashed into the

  sea in Hurricane Z4569 having been catapulted

  from a deck of a transport boat. In July 1943 he

  became an A Flight leader with No. 401 Squadron.

  In April 1944 he assumed command of a flight of

  the No. 412 Squadron and led the unit till August

  2 when he was shot down by German fighters

  in Normandy. He managed to avoid capture

  and returned to the unit. On August 22 he was

  decorated with DFC and in October he returned

  to Canada. In February 1946 he finally left the

  military service. Jackson Sheppard flew Spitfire

  serialed EN921 on regular basis from July till

  October 1943. Even though he did not score any

  of his five kills in its cockpit, he flew this aircraft

  on many offensive sweeps including the mock

  operation Starkey on September 9, 1943.

  KITS 01/2026

  INFO Eduard

  43

  January 2026

• Strana 44

  674057 Spitfire Mk.Vb LööK (Brassin)

  672434 Spitfire Mk.V wheels (Brassin)

  672435 Spitfire Mk.V six-stacks exhaust fishtail PRINT (Brassin)

  672440 Spitfire Mk.V three-stacks exhaust fishtail PRINT (Brassin)

  672441 Spitfire Mk.V three-stacks exhaust rounded PRINT (Brassin)

  3DL72078 Spitfire Mk.Vb SPACE (3D Obtisk)

  For Spitfire Mk.Vb 1/72

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  #70206X

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  mid 1/72

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  OVERLEPT

  #2154-LEPT1

  Spitfire Story

  1/72

  Product page

  Product page

  Product page

  #672440

  EP829, S/Ldr John J. Lynch, No. 249 Squadron, Krendi, Malta, May 1943

  John Joseph Lynch was born on February 3,

  1918, in Alhambra, California. In 1941, he joined

  the RAF and his first assignment was with

  No. 232 Squadron. The following month, he was

  attached to No. 121 “Eagle” Squadron. This was

  followed by a stint with No. 71 “Eagle” Squadron,

  during which he shared in the destruction of

  a Ju 88 on April 17, 1942. In November 1942,

  he was transferred to Malta and assigned

  to No. 249 Squadron, with which he actively

  participated in its defense. At the beginning of

  1943, he was promoted to Commander of the unit

  and recorded a number of victories over Axis

  transport aircraft supplying Tunisia. The Ju 52

  kill came about on April 28, being the 1,000th

  kill recorded by the defenders of Malta. In July

  1943, he was reassigned to the USAAF but saw

  no combat with the service. Spitfire EP829, with

  which Lynch flew from February to May 1943

  as a member of No. 249 Squadron, was part of

  Operation “Train”, which represented the final

  shipment of Spitfires to the defenders of Malta,

  delivered by an aircraft carrier. EP829 initially

  had clipped wings and later flew with the

  standard span wings. The main fuel tank cover

  carried the Squadron Commander marking and

  seven kill markings that were recorded up to

  April 28, 1943. Below the windscreen, there was

  an inscription “Malta’s 1000”, in honor of that

  kill over Malta. Over his combat career, Lynch

  recorded 17 kills (ten individual and seven

  shared), along with a single probable and two

  damaged enemy aircraft.

  KITS 01/2026

  INFO Eduard44

  January 2026

• Strana 45

  #948012

  Avia S-199 bubble canopy

  1/48

  HYBRID edition kit of Czechoslovak single

  engine fighter Avia S-199 with bubble canopy

  in 1/48 scale.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 6

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: yes, cockpit, wheel wells,

  exhausts, barrels, antennas, air intake,

  undercarriage

  Product page

  KITS 01/2026

  INFO Eduard

  45

  January 2026

• Strana 46

  Police Air Patrol, Brno/Olomouc, Czechoslovakia, 1949

  S-199.210, Aviation Regiment 5, Plzeň-Bory, Czechoslovakia, 1950

  The Police Air Patrol of the Security Air Force

  (until mid-December 1947 the National Security

  Air Force) used this aircraft at Brno and

  Olomouc airports. At the time of its service

  with the Police Air Patrol, it bore the standard

  livery of this air force, i.e., light grey paint on

  the upper surfaces and dark grey on the lower

  surfaces, complemented by scarlet paint on the

  nose and leading edge of the wing. Also, the

  horizontal tail surfaces were the same color.

  The reconstruction of the color scheme was

  based on photographs of similar aircraft as no

  photographs of OK

  -

  BXK have survived. The serial

  number is still unknown, but could probably be

  201, 410 or in the range 414 to 416. There is full

  range of digits for creating any number.

  Nose-art was rare on Czechoslovak Air Force

  aircraft in the 1950´s and 1960´s. Rigid discipline

  and regulations did not favor such activities,

  but from time to time commanders apparently

  turned a blind eye to a certain level of

  expressionism. Something like this may have

  happened in 1949 or 1950 at LP 5 (Aviation

  Regiment 5). A carefully crafted heraldic

  silhouette in white appeared on the aircraft.

  We will probably never know which emblem

  was to be subsequently added to it, because

  before the painting could be finished, the

  aircraft suffered an emergency landing. During

  subsequent repairs, the aircraft either received

  a new engine cowling or the in-progress nose-

  art was deleted. One likely possibility of the

  original intent might be the emblem of the local

  football club Baník Líně. As a result, this aircraft

  can be modeled in both states, i.e., with the white

  coat of arms only, or in the form it probably

  would have taken, if higher powers had not

  intervened. We don't know if the emblem would

  have been painted on the starboard side as

  well, since only the port side was photographed.

  However, decals are provided for either version.

  This aircraft was subsequently used by training

  units. It was handed over by LP 5 (Aviation

  Regiment No. 5) on July 8, 1950 to the Aviation

  Training School. From April 1953, it served with

  No. 4 lsp (Aviation Training Regiment 4) and then

  was transferred to No. 2 lsp (Aviation Training

  Regiment 2). Finally, at the end of 1954, it was

  passed on to No. 1 lsp (Aviation Training Regiment

  1) where it completed its service career.

  KITS 01/2026

  INFO Eduard46

  January 2026

• Strana 47

  S-199.165, Lt. Vladislav Petráš, 1 Squadron, 18 Aviation Regiment,

  Plzeň-Skvrňany, Czechoslovakia, July 1952

  S-199.310, PFC Josef Mucha, Aviation School Regiment 5, Zvolen, Sliač AB,

  Czechoslovakia, August 1952

  This aircraft was test-flown at the end of

  October 1948 by the factory pilot Petr Široký and

  on November 23 it was flown to the designated

  Pilsen Aviation Regiment 4. On March 19, 1950,

  the aircraft was damaged, subsequently

  repaired and reassigned to its unit in mid-July

  of the same year. From April 1952 it was used

  by the 1 Squadron of the 18 Aviation Regiment

  at the Plzeň-Skvrňany airfield. On July 23,

  1952, this Avia, codenamed PS-15, was flown by

  Lt. Vladislav Petráš who was performing

  a training flight. During it, a technical

  malfunction occurred, and the pilot had to

  make an emergency belly-landing near Trhové

  Dušníky, Příbram district. In such a landing, the

  aircraft suffered only minor damage, especially

  to the propeller blades and was subsequently

  repaired.

  This “Mezek” was assigned to Aviation Regiment

  7 on August 4, 1948 and flew first with the Staff

  Flight coded JP-1. Later, it was assigned to

  No. 3 Squadron, and its code was changed to

  KT-3. On March 9, 1949, it was damaged during

  an emergency landing near Boskovice and was

  sent in for factory repairs. Staff Captain Truhlář

  conducted an acceptance flight on July 14, 1949,

  in Kunovice and on August 17, 1950, the aircraft

  was transferred from Aviation Regiment 1 to

  the Aviation School. Later, after repairs at Avia,

  it was assigned to Aviation School Regiment 5,

  where it received the code UL-51. On August 26,

  1952, a take-off was aborted by PFC Josef Mucha,

  causing damage. No further records are available.

  This aircraft is listed among the ones delivered

  to Israel, although the records of its service in

  Czechoslovakia contradict this. The same can be

  said for S-199s Nos. 302, 307 and 311. Of the five

  “Mezek” aircraft produced by Aero and delivered

  to Israel as part of the second batch of fifteen

  aircraft (ten being delivered by Avia), only the

  case of No. 287 is certain. As part of its service

  with the school regiment, aircraft 310 was given

  yellow markings, indicating its function as

  a trainer. These consisted of a band on the spine

  at the rear fuselage and stripes on the upper

  sides of both wings. The wing stripes wrapped

  around the leading edge before terminating

  behind it on the lower surface. Interestingly,

  although the aircraft lacked the wing-mounted

  machine guns, at least in available photographs,

  the spent cartridge collector bulges remained

  below the wings.

  KITS 01/2026

  INFO Eduard

  47

  January 2026

• Strana 48

  S-199.340, Lt. František Kratochvíla, No. 3 Squadron, 51 Aviation Regiment, Mladá,

  Czechoslovakia, July 1952

  S-199.531 Lt. Václav Dvořák, No. 2 Squadron, Aviation Fighter Regiment 3,

  Brno-Černovice, Czechoslovakia, April 1953

  Not much is known about the early service

  of this aircraft. It was manufactured in the

  summer of 1948. The aircraft underwent general

  overhaul in Kunovice from June 5 to November

  20, 1950, and served with the Police Air Patrol

  service briefly (this aviation arm of the Police

  was disbanded on December 23, 1950). In May

  1952, it was assigned to Aviation Regiment 51,

  where it was first assigned to No. 4 Squadron

  and then served, after reorganization of the

  regiment, with No. 3 Squadron, which retained

  the original Police code of its aircraft (numbers

  B-0311 and higher). On July 30, 1952, the aircraft

  made an emergency landing in Zvolen while

  being flown by Lt. František Kratochvíla. This

  aircraft was one of a number that retained their

  simplified Police markings, including the red

  nose, horizontal stabilizer and elevator. The

  army roundels on the wings were overpainted

  in a darker colour than the camouflage coat.

  The same color was used to adapt the insignia

  on the rudder from circular to triangles with

  curved edges. It is not known what specific color

  was used, but it may have been a darker shade

  of green used later on the S-199.

  This “Mezek” was test flown on April 19, 1950 and

  was one of the last of this type produced. From

  June 12, 1950 it was assigned to the Air Reserve

  (LZ 8) at Zvolen Air Base with assignment to the

  VLT (Air Force Headquarters) in Prešov. Later it

  was transferred to Aviation Regiment 3, which

  was part of 22 Air Fighter Division, comprising

  units flying piston engined fighter aircraft.

  There, “Mule” 531 served with the code GY-35.

  On April 5, 1953, Lt. Václav Dvořák made an

  emergency landing with it due to an injection

  pump malfunction. The airframe was written

  off. The aircraft was visibly worn at the time

  with numerous signs of repairs to the original

  paint, which had been made in a darker shade

  of green. The engine cowling was apparently

  a replacement unit from a machine painted in

  the later, darker shade, but darker spots were

  also visible on it. These were likely the result of

  contrast between fresh and faded paint of the

  same shade. Similar signs of repairs were found

  on older Avia S-199s of the unit.

  481177 S-199 upgrade set (PE

  -

  Set)

  644337 Avia S-199 LööK (Brassin)

  6481152 S-199 4xETC 50 rack w/ bombs PRINT (Brassin)

  EX1158 S-199 bubble canopy TFace (Mask)

  For Avia S-199 bubble canopy 1/48

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  KITS 01/2026

  INFO Eduard48

  January 2026

• Strana 49

  #84209

  P-51B/C Mustang Birdcage canopy 1/48

  The Weekend edition kit of US fighter aircraft P-51B Mustang in 1/48 scale.

  It allows to build the aircraft with standard Birdcage canopy in one

  of six USAAF markings.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 4

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: no

  painting mask: no

  resin parts: no

  Product page

  KITS 01/2026

  INFO Eduard

  49

  January 2026

• Strana 50

  P-51B-5-NA, s/n 43-6315, Lt. Col. James Howard, CO 354

  th

  FG, 9

  th

  AF,

  Lashenden, Great Britain, April 1944

  P51B-5-NA, s/n 42-106471, Lt. Col. John C. Meyer, CO 487

  th

  FS, 352

  th

  FG,

  8

  th

  AF, Bodney, Great Britain, May 1944

  The nickname Ding Hao was a Chinese expression

  for good luck that Jim Howard brought to Europe

  from his service in the Far East, where he flew

  with the AVG. The number of kill marks on

  his aircraft is misleading, as Howard did not

  actually down six Japanese aircraft during his

  service with the Flying Tigers in 1941-1942. The

  official number of kills with the AVG was two

  plus one shared, to which he added four enemy

  aircraft destroyed on the ground. On January 11,

  1944, he single-handedly faced a group of about

  30 Luftwaffe fighters while protecting a group

  of bombers. During the action, he shot down four

  aircraft and damaged several others and in the

  following days he added two more victories. Due

  to the pressure from the USAAF propaganda

  department, he had allowed S/Sgt Marcus

  Hanson to paint six “rising suns” on his aircraft

  in addition to six swastikas, even though this

  did not correspond to his combat achievements

  with the AVG. Howard’s Mustang later became

  one of the first aircraft of this type in the 354th

  FG to be equipped with a Malcolm hood canopy,

  which was highly valued by P-51B pilots.

  The appearance of the name Lambie on Meyer’s

  Mustang went through several phases. Initially,

  it was painted black but when the Mustangs

  of the 352nd FG were given their famous blue

  nose paint in the spring of 1944, the inscription

  was first changed to yellow and then was given

  red shading on the black and yellow lettering

  as portrayed in this scheme. John Meyer shot

  down a total of five aircraft flying this P-51B

  between April 10 and May 12, 1944, plus one in

  cooperation with others. He added six more

  aircraft destroyed on the ground. In total, Meyer

  achieved 24 victories during his wartime career

  and destroyed another 13 aircraft on the ground.

  The Lambie II was destroyed on June 7, 1944,

  when Lt. Clifford Garney collapsed in its cockpit

  near Bodney while returning from a mission to

  France and died.

  KITS 01/2026

  INFO Eduard50

  January 2026

• Strana 51

  P51B-10-NA, s/ n 43-7099, Maj. Alvan C. Gillem II, CO 307

  th

  FS, 31

  st

  FG, 15

  th

  AF,

  Nettuno, Italy, February 1944

  P-51B-15-NA, s/n 42-106971, Capt. Benjamin H. Ashmore, 26

  th

  FS, 51

  st

  FG,

  Nanning, China, autumn 1944

  Alvan Cullom Gillem II, a native of Arizona, served

  with the 307th Fighter Squadron on Spitfire

  Mk VIII aircraft and later on North American P-51

  Mustangs. He took command of the 307th FS in

  February 1944. He participated in many missions

  over Italy, the Balkans, Austria, and Romania.

  On May 2, 1944, he shot down a Macchi C.205

  Veltro and two more aircraft of the same type

  on May 7, 1944. He also led escort and attack

  missions on strategic targets in Ploiești and

  Anzi and received the Distinguished Flying Cross

  (DFC) for his outstanding performance in aerial

  combat. After the war, he stayed in service

  and retired in 1973 with the rank of General.

  The Gillem family boasted a long military

  tradition dating back to the Civil War and Alvan

  became the second general in three consecutive

  generations of Gillems. Not only he, but also his

  father and then his son achieved the rank of

  general. His father served in the US Army, his

  son in the USAF.

  Benjamin Howard Ashmore fought in the

  ranks of the 26th FS in 1943/44. He used two

  P-40N Warhawks for combat flights, which he

  exchanged for a P-51B Mustang in the summer

  of 1944. All his aircraft bore the name Anvil

  Chorus and the emblem of a bull on a map of

  Texas on the sides of the fuselage under the

  cockpit. On September 10, 1944, Ashmore, flying

  a P-51B, led a trio of Warhawks from the 25th FS

  on patrol north of Longling. There, he engaged

  in aerial combat with a formation of four Ki-48

  Lily light bombers protected by a dozen Ki-43

  Oscar fighters. Ashmore first attacked one of

  the bombers and shot it down. He then engaged

  the accompanying Oscars and damaged two

  with his fire. On December 18, 1943, he added

  one Zero to his tally. Alltogether he flew 78

  combat missions during the war. The Mustang

  named Anvil Chorus III was lost on January 14,

  1945. At that time, it was serving with the 3rd FG

  CACW and bore the name Big Blue Eyes. Lt. Van

  N. Moad Jr. was killed in its cockpit.

  KITS 01/2026

  INFO Eduard

  51

  January 2026

• Strana 52

  FE1449 P-51B/C seatbelts STEEL (PE

  -

  Set)

  644268 P-51B/C LööK (Brassin)

  644278 P-51B/C framed canopy LööKplus (Brassin)

  648986 P-51B/C wheels diamond tread (Brassin)

  648987 P-51B/C wheels oval tread (Brassin)

  648988 P-51B/C wheels cross tread (Brassin)

  648989 P-51B/C wheels block tread (Brassin)

  648990 P-51B/C wheels diamond tread 2 (Brassin)

  648991 P-51B/C wheels block tread 2 (Brassin)

  648992 P-51B/C exhaust stacks (Brassin)

  648993 P-51B/C exhaust stacks w/fairing (Brassin)

  648994 P-51B/C undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)

  648997 P-51B/C gun bays PRINT (Brassin)

  6481001 P-51B/C 108gal drop tanks PRINT (Brassin)

  6481002 P-51B/C seat Type 1 PRINT (Brassin)

  6481003 P-51B/C seat Type 2 PRINT (Brassin)

  6481004 P-51B/C engine (Brassin)

  6481005 P-51B/C 75gal drop tank early PRINT (Brassin)

  6481006 P-51B/C Hamilton Standard propeller (Brassin)

  6481007 P-51B/C Hamilton Standard propeller uncuffed (Brassin)

  6481008 P-51B/C bazooka rocket launcher (Brassin)

  6481009 P-51B/C/D seat Type 3 PRINT (Brassin)

  6481010 P-51B/C wheel bay PRINT (Brassin)

  6481031 P-51B/C gun sights PRINT (Brassin)

  6481033 P-51B Birdcage canopy cockpit PRINT (Brassin)

  6481039 P-51B/C seat w/ integral belts Type 1 PRINT (Brassin)

  6481040 P-51B/C seat w/ integral belts Type 2 PRINT (Brassin)

  6481041 P-51B/C seat w/ integral belts Type 3 PRINT (Brassin)

  D48118 P-51B stencils (Decal Set)

  3DL48177 P-51B/C SPACE (3D Decal Set)

  EX1036 P-51B/C framed canopy TFace (Mask)

  EX1038 P-51B/C US national insignia (Mask)

  EX1051 P-51B/C framed canopy (Mask)

  EX1119 P-51B/C D-day stripes (Mask)

  For P-51B/C Mustang Birdcage canopy 1/48

  RECOMMENDED:

  #644278

  #6481010

  #6481004

  #648988

  #6481041

  #648994

  #6481033

  KITS 01/2026

  INFO Eduard52

  January 2026

• Strana 53

  #82147

  Fw 190A-8 1/48

  The ProfiPACK edition kit of German

  WWII fighter aircraft Fw 190A-8

  in 1/48 scale.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 5

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  Product page

  Re-Release

  KITS 01/2026

  INFO Eduard

  53

  January 2026

• Strana 54

  W.Nr. 350189, 12./JG 5, Herdla, Norway, Spring 1945

  Ofhr. Walter Köhne, 3./JG 1, Bad Lippspringe, Germany, May 1944

  The end of the war found 9. and 12. Staffeln

  JG 5 stationed at Herdla. While 9. Staffel flew

  a mix of Fw 190A-2/3/8s and even the odd

  Fw 190F-8 used exclusively in the fighter role,

  12. Staffel was equipped with the Fw 190A-8.

  Fw 190s flown by 12./JG5 carried the standard

  camouflage scheme consisting of RLM 74/75/76

  and have been photographed on several

  occasions carrying the Defence of the Reich

  yellow and black band on the rear fuselage.

  The code was painted in blue, consistent with

  the Staffel, as were the cowl ring and spinner.

  Shortly after the attack on the Soviet Union,

  Walter Köhne was seriously wounded. Following

  a long period of recuperation, on June 4, 1943,

  he was assigned to 2./JG 1, which at this time

  was based at Deelen, Netherlands. He flew

  combat over western Europe up to the end of the

  war, achieving a total of thirty kills, the majority

  of which were B-17 and B-24 heavy bombers.

  The standard camouflage scheme of this

  Fw 190A-8 is supplemented by Defense of

  the Reich JG 1 markings, a 900-mm wide

  red fuselage band, the JG 1 unit emblem and

  a personal marking in the form of the name of

  the dog that was the 3. Staffel mascot.

  KITS 01/2026

  INFO Eduard54

  January 2026

• Strana 55

  W.Nr. 960542, Stab/JG 4, Jüterbog-Damm, Germany, Spring 1945

  W.Nr. 171180, 6./JG 300, München-Neubiberg, Germany, April–May 1945

  Stab of JG 4 used Fw 190D-9 against the Allies

  and this Fw 190A-8 was likely a reserve aircraft.

  It was built under license by Norddeutsche

  Dornier in Wismar and was painted in the

  standard camouflage scheme consisting of RLM

  74/75/76. The JG 4 aircraft that were integrated

  into the Defense of the Reich system carried

  a black-white-black fuselage band. The JG 4

  unit emblem appeared on the left side of the

  cowl.

  Fw 190A-8, WNr. 171180, built by the parent

  company, was discovered by the Allies at the end

  of the war at the airfield in Neubiberg, not too far

  from Munich. Damage sustained during taxiing

  on April 24, 1945, was never repaired. JG300,

  as a Defense of the Reich unit flying over

  Germany, marked its aircraft with a blue-white-

  blue 900 mm wide fuselage band in 1945. The

  previous red fuselage band was discontinued

  in January 1945 and kept only on aircraft

  serving with JG 1. The original fuselage crosses

  were overpainted and replaced with simplified

  versions in black. Similarly, the fuselage code

  was replaced with the yellow 4.

  KITS 01/2026

  INFO Eduard

  55

  January 2026

• Strana 56

  #644015

  W.Nr. 172733, Uffz. Ernst Schröder, 5./JG 300, Löbnitz, Germany, October 1944

  The aircraft flown by Ernst Schröder in October

  1944 carried II. Gruppe marking in the form of

  a horizontal bar in the Staffel color behind the

  fuselage cross. The slogan Kölle alaaf (Cologne

  forever) with the Cologne Coat of Arms appeared

  on the left side of the fuselage, while the name

  of Schroder’s girlfriend, Edelgard, appeared on

  the right. In November, the II. Gruppe marking

  disappeared under the 900 mm wide red band

  on the rear fuselage. At the same time, the coat

  of arms was complemented with shadowing as

  was the second part of the inscription. Also an

  exclamation point was added. The name of the

  girlfriend took on a fancier appearance.

  481161 Fw 190A landing flaps (fotolept)

  FE863 Fw 190A seatbelts STEEL (fotolept)

  644015 Fw 190A-8 LööK (Brassin)

  648356 Fw 190A wingroot gun bays (Brassin)

  648366 Fw 190A propeller (Brassin)

  648371 Fw 190A control surfaces early (Brassin)

  648381 Fw 190A exhaust stacks (Brassin)

  648464 Fw 190A-8 engine & fuselage guns (Brassin)

  648476 Fw 190A-8 undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)

  648736 Fw 190A landing flaps PRINT (Brassin)

  648785 Fw 190A-8 cockpit PRINT (Brassin)

  6481014 Fw 190A seat PRINT (Brassin)

  6481038 Fw 190A seat w/ integral belts PRINT (Brassin)

  3DL48079 Fw 190A-8 SPACE (3D obtisk)

  EX587 Fw 190A TFace (maska)

  For Fw 190A-8 1/48

  RECOMMENDED:

  OVERTREES

  #82147X

  Fw 190A-8

  1/48

  OVERLEPT

  #82147-LEPT1

  Fw 190A-8

  1/48

  Product page Product page

  #6481038

  #648464

  KITS 01/2026

  INFO Eduard56

  January 2026

• Strana 57

• Strana 58

  To mark the 85th anniversary of the Battle of

  Britain, an independent publisher Plastic Invasi-

  on has launched a new book project on Indiego-

  go – Wings Over Britain – A Tribute to the Few.

  The publication connects historical research,

  aviation heritage, and scale modeling, focusing

  on the iconic Spitfire Mk.I and the men who flew

  it.

  Built around the Eduard 1/48 Spitfire kit, the

  book offers an in-depth photographic guide co-

  vering assembly, painting, and weathering, com-

  plemented by studies of RAF pilot equipment

  and period references.

  It combines clear, workshop-level instruction

  with visual storytelling that puts the reader ri-

  ght into the atmosphere of 1940.

  The book will be available in Standard and Li-

  mited Indiegogo Editions, with optional signed

  copies and a Battle of Britain A2 art poster.

  Early supporters can still access Early Bird pri-

  cing while it lasts.

  Wings Over Britain – A Tribute to the Few is

  a focused, visually rich publication created for

  those who value both craftsmanship and histo-

  rical accuracy.

  Advert - book Battle of Britain

• Strana 59

• Strana 60

  BRASSIN

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for Bf 109K-4 in 1/32 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Kotare

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for Hs 129B in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Takom

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  634052

  Bf 109K LööK

  1/32 Kotare

  644334

  Hs 129B LööK

  1/48 Takom

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard60

  January 2026

• Strana 61

  644337

  Avia S-199 LööK

  1/48 Eduard

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for S-199 in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  BRASSIN

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for Beaufighter Mk.VI

  in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Revell

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part

  - 3D print: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  644338

  Beaufighter Mk.VI LööK

  1/48 Revell

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  61

  January 2026

• Strana 62

  BRASSIN

  674057

  Spitfire Mk.Vb LööK

  1/72 Eduard

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for Sptfire Mk.Vb in 1/72 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for F-35C in 1/72 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Tamyia

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  Product page

  Product page

  674054

  F-35C LööK

  1/72 Tamiya

  INFO Eduard62

  January 2026

• Strana 63

  BRASSIN

  674058

  P-51D LööK

  1/72 Arma Hobby

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for P-51D in 1/72 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  Collection of 3 sets for Ki-115 Tsurugi in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboard & Steelbelts)

  - undercarriage wheels

  - 800kg bomb

  644340

  Ki-115 Tsurugi LööKplus

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  63

  January 2026

• Strana 64

  BRASSIN

  674059

  Fw 190D LööKplus

  1/72 IBG

  Collection of 4 sets for Fw 190D in 1/72 scale.

  Recommended kit: IBG models

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboard & Steelbelts)

  - undercarriage wheels

  - exhaust stacks

  - painting mask

  Product page

  Collection of 4 sets for P-47D Razorback in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Miniart

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboard & Steelbelts)

  - undercarriage wheels

  - cockpit upgrade set (rudder pedals, gun sight, SPACE seat belts)

  - TFace painting mask

  Product page

  644341

  P-47D Razorback LööKplus

  1/48 MiniArt

  INFO Eduard64

  January 2026

• Strana 65

  BRASSIN

  632211

  Bf 109K-4 gun barrels PRINT

  1/32 Kotare

  Brassin set - gun barrels for Bf 109K-4 in 1/32

  scale. Made by direct 3D printing. Made by direct

  3D printing Easy to assemble, replaces plastic

  parts. Recommended kit: Kotare

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Product page

  Brassin set - engines for B-26B or C Marauder

  in 1/48 scale. Set consists of 2 engines.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: ICM

  Set contains:

  - resin: 26 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  6481013

  B-26B/C engines PRINT

  1/48 ICM

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  65

  January 2026

• Strana 66

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - ejection seat with integral seatbelts

  for MiG-21F in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 6 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Product page

  6481160

  MiG-21F ejection seat w/ integral seat belts PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  6481163

  Beaufighter Mk.VI wheels

  1/48 Revell

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for

  Beaufighter Mk.VI in 1/48 scale. The set consists

  of the main wheels and a tail wheel. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Revell

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  Product page

  INFO Eduard66

  January 2026

• Strana 67

  BRASSIN

  6481170

  Bf 109G undercarriage legs PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Brassin set - the undercarriage legs for Bf 109G

  in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Product page

  Brassin set - the undercarriage legs for A6M

  Zero in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - resin: 6 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  6481174

  A6M undercarriage legs PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  67

  January 2026

• Strana 68

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for F-35C

  in 1/72 scale. The set consists of the main wheels and

  a nose wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - resin: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  Product page

  672429

  F-35C wheels

  1/72 Tamiya

  672432

  F-35C cockpit PRINT

  1/72 Tamiya

  Brassin set - cockpit for F-35C in 1/72 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 7 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  Product page

  INFO Eduard68

  January 2026

• Strana 69

  BRASSIN

  672434

  Spitfire Mk.V wheels

  1/72 Eduard

  Brassin set - undercarriage wheels for Spitfire Mk.V

  in 1/72 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic

  parts. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  Product page

  Brassin set - exhaust stacks for Spitfire Mk.V

  in 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  672435

  Spitfire Mk.V six-stacks exhaust fishtail PRINT

  1/72 Eduard

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  69

  January 2026

• Strana 70

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - exhaust stacks for Spitfire Mk.V

  in 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Product page

  672440

  Spitfire Mk.V three-stacks exhaust fishtail PRINT

  1/72 Eduard

  672441

  Spitfire Mk.V three-stacks exhaust rounded PRINT

  1/72 Eduard

  Brassin set - exhaust stacks for Spitfire Mk.V

  in 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Product page

  INFO Eduard70

  January 2026

• Strana 71

  BRASSIN

  672442

  P-51D wheels block tread

  1/72 Arma Hobby

  Brassin set - undercarriage wheels for P-51D

  in 1/72 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces

  plastic parts. Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  Product page

  Brassin set - seat w/ integral seat belts for

  P-51D in 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  672448

  P-51D seat w/ integral seat belts PRINT

  1/72 Arma Hobby

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  71

  January 2026

• Strana 72

  BRASSIN

  Product page

  Collection of 4 sets for Jaguar GR.1A in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Airfix

  - cockpit

  - undercarriage wheels

  - exhaust nozzles

  - Remove Before Flight tags

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.

  SIN648147

  Jaguar GR.1A

  1/48 Airfix

  INFO Eduard72

  January 2026

• Strana 73

  BRASSIN

  Product page

  Collection of 3 sets for P-40N in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  - wheel bays

  - gun bays

  - engine

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.

  SIN648148

  P-40N ADVANCED

  1/48 Eduard

  INFO Eduard

  73

  January 2026

• Strana 74

  JANUARY 2026

  P-51D

  1/72 Arma Hobby

  #73863

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  INFO Eduard74

  January 2026

• Strana 75

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  Mosquito B.35

  1/72 Airfix

  #73864

  #SS864

  INFO Eduard

  75

  January 2026

• Strana 76

  3DL48261 A-4C 1/48 Hobby Boss

  3DL48262

  P-400 1/48 Arma Hobby

  Product page

  Product page

  easy

  application

  INFO Eduard76

  January 2026

• Strana 77

  SPACE

  3DL48263 P-47N 1/48 MiniArt

  3DL72080

  P-51D 1/72 Arma Hobby

  SPACE

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  77

  January 2026

• Strana 78

  SPACE

  3DL72081 Mosquito B.35 SPACE 1/72 Airfix

  3DL72082

  Mosquito TT.35 SPACE 1/72 Airfix

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard78

  January 2026

• Strana 79

  MASKS

  IT FITS!

  EX1152 A-4C

  1/48 Hobby Boss

  EX1153 A-4C TFace

  1/48 Hobby Boss

  EX1154 P-47N

  1/48 MiniArt

  EX1155 P-47N TFace

  1/48 MiniArt

  EX1156 F-35A RAM coating early

  1/48 Italeri

  EX1157 F-35A RAM coating late

  1/48 Italeri

  EX1158 S-199 bubble canopy TFace

  1/48 Eduard

  CX702 Mosquito B.35

  1/72 Airfix

  CX703 Mosquito TT.35

  1/72 Airfix

  EX1153 A-4C TFace

  EX1153 A-4C TFace

  EX1152 A-4C

  EX1152 A-4C

  EX1155 P-47N TFace

  EX1155 P-47N TFace

  EX1154 P-47N

  EX1154 P-47N

  EX1155 P-47N TFace

  EX1155 P-47N TFace

  EX1153 A-4C TFace

  EX1153 A-4C TFace

  INFO Eduard

  79

  January 2026

• Strana 80

  BIG ED

  BIG33169 Bf 109K-4 1/32 Kotare

  BIG33170

  Hs 123A 1/32 ICM

  321027 Bf 109K-4

  33384 Bf 109K-4 seatbelts STEEL

  JX339 Bf 109K-4

  321026 Hs 123A

  33382 Hs 123A seatbelts STEEL

  JX338 Hs 123A

  Product page

  Product page

  All sets included in this BIG ED are available separately,

  but with every BIG ED set you save up to 30%.

  INFO Eduard80

  January 2026

• Strana 81

  BIG ED

  BIG49467 Bf 109E-4/7 1/48 Tamiya

  BIG72188

  F-35C 1/72 Tamiya

  491548 Bf 109E-4/7

  FE1549 Bf 109E-4/7 seatbelts STEEL

  EX130 Bf 109E-4/7

  73855 F-35C

  CX697 F-35C

  CX698 F-35C RAM coating

  Product page

  Product page

  All sets included in this BIG ED are available separately,

  but with every BIG ED set you save up to 30%.

  INFO Eduard

  81

  January 2026

• Strana 82

  BIG-EDBIG-ED

  RELEASES

  JANUARY 2026

  KITS

  PE

  -

  SETS

  ZOOMS

  MASKS

  2154 SPITFIRE STORY: The Sweeps DUAL COMBO 1/72 Limited

  948012 Avia S-199 bubble canopy 1/48 HYBRiD

  84209 P-51B/C Mustang Birdcage canopy 1/48 Weekend

  82147 Fw 190A-8 Re-Release 1/48 ProfiPACK

  481178 A-4C air brakes 1/48 Hobby Boss

  481179 P-400 landing flaps 1/48 Arma Hobby

  491564 A-4C 1/48 Hobby Boss

  491566 P-400 1/48 Arma Hobby

  491568 P-47N 1/48 MiniArt

  73863 P-51D 1/72 Arma Hobby

  73864 Mosquito B.35 1/72 Airfix

  73865 Mosquito TT.35 1/72 Airfix

  FE1564 A-4C 1/48 Hobby Boss

  FE1565 A-4C seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Hobby Boss

  FE1566 P-400 1/48 Arma Hobby

  FE1567 P-400 seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Arma Hobby

  FE1568 P-47N 1/48 MiniArt

  FE1569 P-47N seatbelts STEEL 1/48 MiniArt

  FE1570 P-51B/C Weekend 1/48 Eduard

  SS864 Mosquito B.35 1/72 Airfix

  SS865 Mosquito TT.35 1/72 Airfix

  EX1152 A-4C 1/48 Hobby Boss

  EX1153 A-4C TFace 1/48 Hobby Boss

  EX1154 P-47N 1/48 MiniArt

  EX1155 P-47N TFace 1/48 MiniArt

  EX1156 F-35A RAM coating early 1/48 Italeri

  EX1157 F-35A RAM coating late 1/48 Italeri

  EX1158 S-199 bubble canopy TFace 1/48 Eduard

  CX702 Mosquito B.35 1/72 Airfix

  CX703 Mosquito TT.35 1/72 Airfix

  BIG ED

  BIG33169 Bf 109K-4 1/32 Kotare

  BIG33170 Hs 123A 1/32 ICM

  BIG49467 Bf 109E-4/7 1/48 Tamiya

  BIG72188 F-35C 1/72 Tamiya

  INFO Eduard82

  January 2026

• Strana 83

  RELEASES

  BRASSIN

  LöökPLUS

  BIGSIN

  SPACE

  634052 Bf 109K LööK 1/32 Kotare

  644334 Hs 129B LööK 1/48 Takom

  644337 Avia S-199 LööK 1/48 Eduard

  644338 Beaufighter Mk.VI LööK 1/48 Revell

  674054 F-35C LööK 1/72 Tamiya

  674057 Spitfire Mk.Vb LööK 1/72 Eduard

  674058 P-51D LööK 1/72 Arma Hobby

  632211 Bf 109K-4 gun barrels PRINT 1/32 Kotare

  6481013 B-26B/C engines PRINT 1/48 ICM

  6481160 MiG-21F ejection seat

  w/ integral seat belts PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  6481163 Beaufighter Mk.VI wheels 1/48 Revell

  6481170 Bf 109G undercarriage legs PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  6481174 A6M undercarriage legs PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  672429 F-35C wheels 1/72 Tamiya

  672432 F-35C cockpit PRINT 1/72 Tamiya

  672434 Spitfire Mk.V wheels 1/72 Eduard

  672435 Spitfire Mk.V six-stacks

  exhaust fishtail PRINT 1/72 Eduard

  672440 Spitfire Mk.V

  three-stacks exhaust fishtail PRINT 1/72 Eduard

  672441 Spitfire Mk.V

  three-stacks exhaust rounded PRINT 1/72 Eduard

  672442 P-51D wheels block tread 1/72 Arma Hobby

  672448 P-51D seat w/ integral seat belts PRINT 1/72 Arma Hobby

  644340 Ki-115 Tsurugi LööKplus 1/48 Eduard

  644341 P-47D Razorback LööKplus 1/48 MiniArt

  674059 Fw 190D LööKplus 1/72 IBG

  SIN648147 Jaguar GR.1A 1/48 Eduard

  SIN648148 P-40N ADVANCED 1/48 Airfix

  3DL48261 A-4C 1/48 Hobby Boss

  3DL48262 P-400 1/48 Arma Hobby

  3DL48263 P-47N 1/48 MiniArt

  3DL72080 P-51D 1/72 Arma Hobby

  3DL72081 Mosquito B.35 SPACE 1/72 Airfix

  3DL72082 Mosquito TT.35 SPACE 1/72 Airfix

  JANUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard

  83

  January 2026

• Strana 84

• Strana 85

• Strana 86

  BUILT

  built by Robert Szwarc

  #11193

  MARKING A

  1/48

  15,000th

  P-40N Warhawk

  INFO Eduard86

  January 2026

• Strana 87

  BUILT

  15.000th Curtiss aircraft delivered to customers worldwide, Buffalo, NY, USA, November 1944

  The Curtiss company celebrated its 15,000th

  fighter aircraft delivered to its customers

  worldwide by special commemorative marking

  with all the national insignias of the countries

  of its customers placed all around the aircraft

  surface. The serial number of the plane which

  was used for the commemorative marking is

  not known.

  INFO Eduard

  87

  January 2026

• Strana 88

  BUILT

  built by Angelo Lodetti

  #948011

  MARKING A

  1/48

  AVIA S-199 ERLA canopy

  INFO Eduard88

  January 2026

• Strana 89

  BUILT

  101 Tayeset, Cheyl Ha´avir, Hatzor, Israel, October 1948

  The aircraft coded D-123 was delivered to Israel

  on July 28 on board Balak Flight No. 79 and

  joined the action on August 15, 1948. A month

  prior to entry into service, ex-USAAF volunteer

  pilot Stan Andrews drew up the 101 Tayeset’s

  (Squadron) insignia of a winged skull of death

  wearing a flight helmet and goggles. The skull

  symbolizes the Jewish faith’s belief in the

  rising of the dead to form a large army when

  the messiah comes to earth. The insignia was

  printed on paper and applied to the left side of

  the nose of 101 Tayeset’s planes. In preparation

  for Operation Ten Plagues (October 15-22, 1948),

  later renamed Operation Yoav, 101 Tayeset

  fighters obtained high visibility markings

  consisting of red spinners and red and white

  stripes on the rudders in order to distinguish

  them from Egyptian aircraft. More to it, the Star

  of David roundels were applied atop the wings

  for the first time. During Operation Yoav, Rudi

  Augarten claimed a Royal Egyptian Air Force

  Spitfire Mk.IXc flying D-123 on the first day of

  the offensive, on October 16. The kill was not

  confirmed by IAF intelligence. In November,

  D-123 was given the number 1905 as part of the

  introduction of a new military aircraft marking

  system. There are a few repairs to the fuselage

  that appear darker areas on photos of D-123.

  This has led some researchers to believe

  the aircraft received a two-tone camouflage.

  However, it is merely a contrast of older and

  newer paint of the same shade of green.

  INFO Eduard

  89

  January 2026

• Strana 90

  BUILT

  1/48

  built by Paolo Portuesi

  #11190

  MARKING B

  INFO Eduard90

  January 2026

• Strana 91

  BUILT

  MiG-21F-13, c/n 660416, 1 Fighter Air Regiment, České Budějovice AB, Czechoslovakia, 1968-1970

  Czechoslovak political changes in the spring

  of 1968 were also reflected in the coloring

  of some of MiG-21Fs. Members of the 1 Air

  Force Regiment in České Budějovice took the

  initiative to design their own squadron insignia.

  While the insignia for the MiG-21PF and PFM

  all-weather and night interception squadrons

  featured nocturnal creatures, specifically

  a bat and an owl, the symbol chosen for the first

  training squadron was a devil with a pitchfork

  against a clear blue sky. The author of the

  design was Miloslav Martenek, later known for

  his cartoons and illustrations. The inspiration

  for the drawing was the strict squadron

  commander, Major Jan Jansa. It was said

  that serving under him was hell. His red nose

  was also an inspiration for the devil drawing.

  All designs were approved on May 17, 1968,

  and subsequently spray-painted onto the

  aircraft. The same symbol also appeared in

  a smaller form as a decal on the pilots’ helmets.

  The devil drawing was used until August 20,

  1970, when an order was issued to remove all

  such symbols. The aircraft served until 1983

  with the 1. Air Regiment in České Budějovice,

  then between 1983 and 1991 with the 5 Air

  Regiment in Plzeň-Líně, and in 1991 it ended

  its service with the 1 Air Training Regiment in

  Přerov.

  INFO Eduard

  91

  January 2026

• Strana 92

  ON APPROACH

  FEBRUARY 2026

  644339

  P-47N LööK

  1/48 MiniArt

  674055

  F-35A LööK

  1/72 Tamiya

  BIG33171 Sea Hurricane Mk.IIc 1/32 Revell

  BIG49468 P-47D Razorback 1/48 MiniArt

  BIG72189 B-24D part I 1/72 Airfix

  BIG72190 B-24D part II 1/72 Airfix

  644339 P-47N LööK 1/48 MiniArt

  674055 F-35A LööK 1/72 Tamiya

  674056 F-35B LööK 1/72 Tamiya

  632213 Fw 190 undercarriage legs 1/32 Revell

  632214 Bf 109G undercarriage legs 1/32 Revell

  632215 Bf 109G-6 wheels 1/32 Revell

  6481153 Do 217K guns PRINT 1/48 ICM

  6481165 Jaguar wheel bays & undercarriage legs PRINT 1/48 Airfix

  6481166 F-35C cockpit PRINT 1/48 Tamiya

  6481181 P-47N cockpit upgrade set PRINT 1/48 MiniArt

  672444 P-51D exhaust stacks w/ fairing PRINT 1/72 Arma Hobby

  672445 P-51D exhaust stacks PRINT 1/72 Arma Hobby

  672446 P-51D undercarriage legs PRINT 1/72 Arma Hobby

  672447 P-51D gun sights PRINT 1/72 Arma Hobby

  644342 Beaufighter Mk.VI LööKplus 1/48 Revell

  674060 P-51D LööKplus 1/72 MiniArt

  674061 F-35C LööKplus 1/72 Tamiya

  SIN648149 B-26B Marauder 1/48 ICM

  SIN67234 F-35B armament 1/72 Tamiya

  BIG ED (February)

  BRASSIN (February)

  LöökPlus (February)

  BIGSIN (February)

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for F-35A in 1/72 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Tamyia

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for P-47N in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Miniart

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  674056

  F-35B LööK

  1/72 Tamiya

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for F-35B in 1/72 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Tamyia

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  INFO Eduard92

  January 2026

• Strana 93

  ON APPROACHFEBRUARY 2026

  632213

  Fw 190 undercarriage legs PRINT

  1/32 Revell

  632214

  Bf 109G undercarriage legs PRINT

  1/32 Revell

  632215

  Bf 109G-6 wheels

  1/32 Revell

  Brassin set - the undercarriage legs and wheel bay

  doors for Fw 190 in 1/32 scale. Made by direct 3D

  printing. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Revell

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - the undercarriage legs and wheel bay

  doors for Bf 109G in 1/32 scale. Made by direct 3D

  printing. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Revell

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for

  Bf 109G-6 in 1/32 scale. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Revell

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  INFO Eduard

  93

  January 2026

• Strana 94

  ON APPROACH

  FEBRUARY 2026

  6481153

  Do 217K guns PRINT

  1/48 ICM

  6481165

  Jaguar wheel bays & undercarriage legs PRINT

  1/48 Airfix

  6481166

  F-35C cockpit PRINT

  1/48 Tamiya

  Brassin set - guns with ammo belts and expended

  shell case sleeves for Do 217K in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: ICM

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 19 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - nose and main wheel bays

  w/ undercarriage legs for Jaguar in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Airfix

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 33 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - cockpit for F-35C in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - resin: 14 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  INFO Eduard94

  January 2026

• Strana 95

  6481181

  P-47N cockpit upgrade set PRINT

  1/48 MiniArt

  672444

  P-51D exhaust stacks w/ fairing PRINT

  1/72 Arma Hobby

  672445

  P-51D exhaust stacks PRINT

  1/72 Arma Hobby

  Brassin set - cockpit upgrade set for P-47N in 1/48 scale.

  Set consists of rudder pedals, gun sight and SPACE seat

  belts. Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Miniart

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  - 3D decal: yes

  Brassin set - exhaust stacks for P-51D in 1/72 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble, replaces

  plastic parts. Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - exhaust stacks for P-51D in 1/72 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble, replaces

  plastic parts. Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  ON APPROACHFEBRUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard

  95

  January 2026

• Strana 96

  ON APPROACH

  672446

  P-51D undercarriage legs PRINT

  1/72 Arma Hobby

  672447

  P-51D gun sights PRINT

  1/72 Arma Hobby

  Brassin set - the undercarriage legs and wheel

  bay doors for P-51D in 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D

  printing. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  Set contains:

  - 3D print 6 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - gun sights for P-51D in 1/72 scale. Set consists

  of three different types of gun sights. Made by direct

  3D printing. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  Set contains:

  - 3D print 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  FEBRUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard96

  January 2026

• Strana 97

  ON APPROACH

  674060

  P-51D LööKplus

  1/72 MiniArt

  674061

  F-35C LööKplus

  1/72 Tamiya

  Collection of 3 sets for P-51D in 1/72 scale.

  Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboard & Steelbelts)

  - undercarriage wheels

  - pilot seat w/ integral seat belts

  Collection of 4 sets for F-35C in 1/72 scale.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboard & Steelbelts)

  - undercarriage wheels

  - an ejection seat

  - painting mask

  644342

  Beaufighter Mk.VI LööKplus

  1/48 Revell

  Collection of 3 sets for Beaufighter Mk.VI in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Revell

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboard & Steelbelts)

  - undercarriage wheels

  - TFace painting mask

  FEBRUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard

  97

  January 2026

• Strana 98

  ON APPROACH

  SIN648149

  B-26B Marauder

  1/48 ICM

  Collection of 4 sets for B-26B Marauder in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: ICM

  - LööK set (pre-painted dashboard & STEELbelts)

  - engines

  - bomb racks

  - wheels

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.

  FEBRUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard98

  January 2026

• Strana 99

  SIN67234

  F-35B armament

  1/72 Tamiya

  Collection of 5 sets for F-35B in 1/72 scale.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  - AIM-120C AMRAAM

  - GBU-12

  - GBU-39 w/ BRU-61

  - AIM-9X

  - GBU-31(V)3/B JDAM

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.

  ON APPROACHFEBRUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard

  99

  January 2026

• Strana 100

  PE

  -

  SETS

  23044 Bf 109G-5 interior 1/24 Airfix

  23045 Bf 109G-6 interior 1/24 Airfix

  23046 Bf 109G-5/6 seatbelts STEEL 1/24 Airfix

  23047 Bf 109G-5/6 exterior & rudder pedals 1/24 Airfix

  32498 Meteor F.8/FR.9 landing flaps 1/32 Revell

  481180 Spitfire Mk.IXe landing flaps 1/48 Airfix

  491571 Spitfire Mk.IXe 1/48 Airfix

  ZOOMS

  33389 Meteor F.8/FR.9 seatbelts STEEL 1/32 Revell

  FE1571 Spitfire Mk.IXe 1/48 Airfix

  FE1572 Spitfire Mk.IXe seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Airfix

  SS866 P-51D Weekend 1/72 Eduard

  MASKS

  LX011 Bf 109G-5/6 national insignia 1/24 Airfix

  LX012 Bf 109G-5/6 spinner spirals 1/24 Airfix

  EX1159 Spitfire Mk.IXe 1/48 Airfix

  EX1160 Spitfire Mk.IXe TFace 1/48 Airfix

  EX1161 P-47M 1/48 MiniArt

  EX1162 P-47M TFace 1/48 MiniArt

  EX1163 Hampden B Mk.I 1/48 ICM

  EX1164 Hampden B Mk.I TFace 1/48 ICM

  CX704 Wessex HC.2 1/72 Airfix

  SPACE

  3DL32040 Bf 109G-5/6 seatbelts SPACE 1/24 Airfix

  3DL32041 Meteor F.8 SPACE 1/32 Revell

  3DL32042 Meteor FR.9 SPACE 1/32 Revell

  3DL32043 Meteor F.8/FR.9 seatbelts SPACE 1/32 Revell

  3DL32044 Bf 109G-5 SPACE 1/24 Airfix

  3DL32045 Bf 109G-6 SPACE 1/24 Airfix

  3DL48264 Bf 109G seatbelts SPACE 1/48

  3DL48265 Spitfire Mk.IXe SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  ON APPROACH

  FEBRUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard100

  January 2026

• Strana 101

  PE

  -

  SETS

  23044 Bf 109G-5 interior 1/24 Airfix

  23045 Bf 109G-6 interior 1/24 Airfix

  23046 Bf 109G-5/6 seatbelts STEEL 1/24 Airfix

  23047 Bf 109G-5/6 exterior & rudder pedals 1/24 Airfix

  32498 Meteor F.8/FR.9 landing flaps 1/32 Revell

  481180 Spitfire Mk.IXe landing flaps 1/48 Airfix

  491571 Spitfire Mk.IXe 1/48 Airfix

  ZOOMS

  33389 Meteor F.8/FR.9 seatbelts STEEL 1/32 Revell

  FE1571 Spitfire Mk.IXe 1/48 Airfix

  FE1572 Spitfire Mk.IXe seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Airfix

  SS866 P-51D Weekend 1/72 Eduard

  MASKS

  LX011 Bf 109G-5/6 national insignia 1/24 Airfix

  LX012 Bf 109G-5/6 spinner spirals 1/24 Airfix

  EX1159 Spitfire Mk.IXe 1/48 Airfix

  EX1160 Spitfire Mk.IXe TFace 1/48 Airfix

  EX1161 P-47M 1/48 MiniArt

  EX1162 P-47M TFace 1/48 MiniArt

  EX1163 Hampden B Mk.I 1/48 ICM

  EX1164 Hampden B Mk.I TFace 1/48 ICM

  CX704 Wessex HC.2 1/72 Airfix

  SPACE

  3DL32040 Bf 109G-5/6 seatbelts SPACE 1/24 Airfix

  3DL32041 Meteor F.8 SPACE 1/32 Revell

  3DL32042 Meteor FR.9 SPACE 1/32 Revell

  3DL32043 Meteor F.8/FR.9 seatbelts SPACE 1/32 Revell

  3DL32044 Bf 109G-5 SPACE 1/24 Airfix

  3DL32045 Bf 109G-6 SPACE 1/24 Airfix

  3DL48264 Bf 109G seatbelts SPACE 1/48

  3DL48265 Spitfire Mk.IXe SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  ON APPROACH

  Bf 109G-6 1/48

  #82167

  Bf 109G-6, W.Nr. 18107, Uffz. Georg Amon, 7./JG 53,

  Torazzo-Catania, Sicily, June 1943

  Bf 109G-6/R6/Trop, W.Nr. 27169, Fw. Heinrich Bartels,

  11./JG 27, Kalamaki, Greece, November 1943

  Bf 109G-6/R6, W.Nr. 18502 or 18503,

  Hptm. Horst Carganico, CO of II./JG 5, Pskov-South,

  the Soviet Union, early 1944

  Bf 109G-6, W.Nr. 19456, Oberst. Hannes Trautloft,

  Stab General der Jagdflieger, The Soviet Union,

  August 1943

  Bf 109G-6/R6, W.Nr. 26048, Oblt. Friedrich Brock,

  8./JG 54, Ludwiglust, Germany, January 1944

  FEBRUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard

  101

  January 2026

• Strana 102

  ON APPROACH

  P-51D Mustang

  1/72

  #7477

  P-51D-5, s/n 44-13535, Lt. Edward F. Pogue,

  79

  th

  FS, 20

  th

  FG, 8

  th

  AF, Kings Cliffe,

  United Kingdom, 1945

  P-51D-15, Flt. Off. Charles A. Lane, 99

  th

  FS, 332

  nd

  FG,

  15

  th

  AF, Ramitelli, Italy, March 1945

  P-51D-10, s/n 44-14450,

  Capt. Clarence E. Anderson,

  363

  rd

  FS, 357

  th

  FG, 8

  th

  AF, Leiston,

  United Kingdom, October 1944

  P-51D-25, s/n 44-72671, 2nd Lt. William Saks,

  457

  th

  FS, 506

  th

  FG, 20

  th

  AF, Iwo Jima,

  June 1945

  FEBRUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard102

  January 2026

• Strana 103

  David L. Hill, 2

  nd

  FS, AVG, 14

  th

  AF,

  Kuomintang, China, May 1942

  11

  th

  FS, 343

  rd

  FG, Adak, Adak Island, 1942

  AK772, Sqn. Ldr. Clive Caldwell, F/Sgt Henry G. Burney,

  No. 112 Squadron (RAF), LG152 Gambut, Libya,

  March-May 1942

  ET795, 1Lt. Clay Tice, Jr, 9

  th

  FS, 49

  th

  FG,

  Port Moresby, New Guinea, 1942

  ET600, Lt. Andrew J. Reynolds, 9

  th

  FS, 49

  th

  FG,

  Darwin, Australia, August 1942

  NZ3097, F/O Aitken M. Davis, No. 15 Squadron RNZAF, Espiritu Santo, 1943

  ON APPROACH

  P-40E Warhawk 1/48

  #82241

  Re-Release

  FEBRUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard

  103

  January 2026

• Strana 104

  ON APPROACH

  Avia S-199 ERLA canopy

  1/48

  #948011

  101 Tayeset, Cheyl Ha´avir, Hatzor, Israel, October 1948

  101 Tayeset, Cheyl Ha´avir, Herzliya, Israel, July 1948

  S-199.66, ak. Ladislav Strnad, Air Military Academy,

  Hradec Králové, Czechoslovakia, June 1950

  101 Tayeset, Cheyl Ha´avir, Herzliya, Israel,

  July-August 1948

  S-199.54, Sgt. František Novák, Fighter Training Center,

  No. 2 Squadron, Aviation Regiment 4, Planá u Českých

  Budějovic, Czechoslovakia, May 1948

  S-199.486, Lt. František Fořt, No. 1 Squadron, Aviation

  Regiment 7, Brno-Černovice, Czechoslovakia, 1950

  Re-Release

  FEBRUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard104

  January 2026

• Tail end Charlie

  So, What New Things Await Us In 2026? January is traditionally the month when Eduard reveals in detail the plans for the next twelve months. That is, mainly for the first half of the year.

  January is traditionally the month when

  Eduard reveals in detail the plans for the next

  twelve months. That is, mainly for the first half

  of the year. The second half is traditionally

  sprinkled with too many variables dictated

  by the amount of time between now and then.

  That makes it hard to implement any plans with

  certainty. We always have a general idea of

  what we might be able to accomplish, but you

  know how things are going in the world lately.

  Today, you never know when some leader of

  a great power will decide to start a war with

  a foreign country and change the course of the

  world, which, to no one’s surprise will carry

  smothering consequences for a small country,

  even one as capable as the Czech Republic.

  Although you will already be familiar with the

  main points from Vladimir Sulc's editorial for

  this newsletter, I would still like to elaborate

  in more depth on a few key ones that I have

  something to say about, since I am part of the

  team that works on these innovative projects.

  Alien

  Alien is clearly our most complex decal

  project to date, barre none. You have certainly

  heard a lot about it, and if you haven't heard

  enough about it, I recommend you listen to

  the Eduard podcast with Zdenek Nozicka. But

  I would like to write about something else here

  that is not talked about much with respect to

  this project, and that is the riveted decals.

  I think this will be the first time that someone

  has done something like this. The idea is that the

  individual decal segments in the Alien kit will be

  riveted directly using the same technology as

  we used to produce rivets as a separate product

  for the Mi-24V. The set was very popular at the

  time, it was very successful, and over the years

  I have seen several built Hinds with these rivets

  on the Internet and at model exhibitions. And

  I have to admit that they really suit this helicopter.

  They are a prominent feature of the real thing.

  The procedure for producing such decals is

  as follows. First, the decal itself is printed on

  decal paper. This is then varnished with a full-

  surface varnish. After the varnish dries, raised

  rivets are printed onto the decal using our

  UV printers and the topcoat underneath serves

  as the carrier. So do not remove this varnish

  from the model under any circumstances if you

  want the rivets on the model to last. The test

  prints look great and I am very much looking

  forward to feedback from modelers. If such

  a concept is accepted, as I expect it will (looking

  at it strictly as a modeler), it opens up new

  possibilities for us in the field of model design

  and what can be practically offered to the

  modeler.

  Events

  I would like to continue by touching on

  exhibitions, where we have two new events

  worth mentioning. This year, for the first

  time, we are adding the Glue & Glory event to

  our events calendar, which is taking place in

  Deredingen, Switzerland. We will be presenting

  new products on site, and we plan to organize

  seminars there, so if you are traveling inn the

  vicinity, definitely stop by. Regarding E-day,

  I would like to add that in addition to the fact that

  it will be a multi day affair and in the summer,

  we will also expand our scope throughout

  the area and occupy practically most of the

  Zahrada Čech working area. This will mean two

  additional halls, more space for people to move

  around or room for refreshment stands, etc.

  We are also planning other new events for

  E-day, and we will keep you informed about all

  of them. It’s seriously shaping up to be a good

  one. Stay tuned….

  3D Prints

  Since we introduced 3D printing as a direct

  and practical manufacturing aid in 2021, this

  year we are celebrating the 5th anniversary

  of its use. I think it has been a great five years,

  full of dynamic development. Today, we only

  have one of the machines on which we started

  production. The others have been replaced with

  much more modern machines, the production

  capacity has also been increased and, given the

  boom offered by the Hybrid concept used in kits

  being developed here, it will be dramatically

  increased this year. At the same time, we will

  continue to modernize this year and keep up with

  and implement the latest printer technology.

  Phrozen, whose printers we use for printing our

  new Hybrids, is already supplying distributors

  with the latest 16K resolution printers and we

  will definitely include them in our 3D printer

  arsenal.

  I will also talk about these and other bits of

  news at the modeling get together in Prostějov,

  which will take place this Saturday, January

  10th, on the premises of the sports stadium

  there. I cordially invite you all to this event.

  I wish you all a happy and successful 2026!

  SO, WHAT NEW THINGS AWAIT US IN 2026? Text: Jakub Nademlejnský

  INFO Eduard

  105

  January 2026

• Strana 106

• Editorial

  Good day, Dear Friends

   

  Welcome to the new year! In addition to the usual wishes of much happiness, health and well-being, I also wish you a lot of modeling successes, many new inspirations and a sufficient supply of kits and accessories. I can promise you that we will do everything to ensure that you have a regular supply of them from us. The January newsletter is usually about what we have in store for you in the upcoming year. I am now a little worried that I will not actually have much fresh off the presses information for you today, since much of what is coming has already been revealed at E-day, but perhaps you will still find something. So let's get to it.

   

  Hybrid

   The new Hybrid series, combining plastic with 3D printed parts, had its premiere at E-day in the form of our new 48th scale Avia S-199 and a 1:72nd Enstrom 490. I probably won't surprise anyone when I admit that we chose these essentially off-the-wall types because we wanted to test the concept of the new series on them, find out what works and what doesn't according to the original conceptual assumptions and what will need to be changed. I dare say that most of the elements on these projects turned out as we expected. It turns out that there is not much point in producing very small parts via 3D printing. This does not give the modeler much of an advantage, the details are not that much better, and it is more difficult to separate such parts from the print supports. It is precisely the separation from the supports and cleaning of the parts that is problematic, especially for modelers without previous experience with 3D parts. 3D printing of complex cockpit and landing gear leg assemblies is far more effective. These items can be designed and produced to an exceptionally high level of detail, with the details integrated into one or a few basic larger parts. They do not need to be designed or manufactured as separate small glue-together parts, which saves time for both us and the modeler. And that time is not small. Here Hybrid brings significant advantages and technological progress. It is similar with landing gear legs and wheels. We will stick to this method of production of landing gear legs, as it has proven itself. And at the same time, we will expand their availability within aftermarket accessory production.

  What does provide a bit of a dilemma are seats with integrated seat belts. These were received positively by some of the modeling public, and as is often the case, negatively by another. The negative part is louder than usual, but it seems that the ratio between them is in around that fifty-fifty ratio. To tell the truth, we do not want to fight for a long time to promote this innovation, but we also do not want to back down from it, because we think it is a good innovation. But you can't break through a wall with your head and we have a lot of experience with customer resistance to new products. So we are looking for a reasonable solution, within which we try to avoid the option with two alternative seats as much as possible. We are currently working on separate printed belts, glued to the seat. However, we do not have a definitive result as yet.

  So then the obvious question becomes what specific kits await us in the Hybrid series? Already in January, the next release being worked on is the second production version of the Avia S-199 in 1:48th scale, the one with the bulged sliding canopy. It follows on from the first version and differs in a few small details, of course the canopy and its accessories. We have also modified some of the problematic parts of the first version, we have strengthened some, added protective covers to minimize breakage and adjusted the packaging method. In February, we are releasing the first version, the S-199 Erla, already in its second re-edition. The kit is selling well and this gives us hope for a good future for the Hybrid series.

  This year, it will be mainly about kits in 1:32 scale. The closest to release is the P-51B Mustang. It will be in two basic versions, with a birdcage canopy and a Malcolm hood. The first release of the Mustang will be in the Limited Edition series. I already pointed out that we will go this way with the Hybrid series during the detailed introduction of this idea at last year's E-day. This initial Limited Edition release will be based on the Overlord/D-Day Mustangs that was the subject of a 48th scale Limited Edition kit earlier. The composition of the markings will be the same as in that kit and the content will of course correspond to the Hybrid series standard. The subsequent kits will all be Hybrids, in which the composition of the markings will more or less correspond to the 48th scale Profipack releases. The first 1:32nd scale Mustang should be released as a new product in May.

  Another project in the Hybrid series is the Spitfire Mk.IX, also in 1:32nd scale. I am already working on more than two production versions within this project. We will gradually release the early F.Mk.IX Spitfires, then the LF.Mk.IXc main production version, and,of course, also the Mk.IXe and, as with the previous 48th scale kits, the Mk.VIII including the high-altitude HF.Mk.VIII. In this case too, there will be Limited Edition releases, again following in the footsteps of their 48th scale little brothers. So count on the Czechoslovak Mk.IX Spitfires from the The Boys Are Back Limited Edition, and the Australian Spitfire Mk.VIII in the Aussie Eighth Limited Edition. If all goes well, the first 32nd Spitfire will be released as a July new release and will have its premiere at E-day. And while we are on the subject of Spitfires, we will not stop with the design work on the eights and nines, but we will also make the Spitfire Mk.XII and Mk.14. In this case, however, we will start with projects in 1:48 scale, so that we don't have only 1:32 scale items popping up in the new release category.

  The third project we are working on in the Hybrid series is the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A. As part of this project, we will release all versions of the Fw 190 A from the A-2 to the A-8, including the Fw 190 A-9/R2 and the Fw 190 F-8 fighter/bomber. We will then continue with the Fw 190 D-9. We are also quite far along in terms of the design work with the Focke-Wulfs, and I think that the first of them, the Fw 190 A-8/R2, could be on the market sometime in the last quarter of this year.

   

  The Classics

   In the Hybrid series, we have quite a few projects in preparation that are based on older 48th scale releases. And we will not neglect this classic kit either. In the advanced stages of preparation, which means that we are already working on the molds, we have the 1:72nd scale MiG-21R and Bf 109 K-4. The Bf 109 K-4 should be a new item for March in the form of a Kurfürst Limited Edition, and we are counting on the MiG-21R for May or June. We will release the R version first as a Limited Edition, in this case with a book by Martin Janoušek, dedicated to the Czechoslovak service life of the MiG-21R.

  We will continue with the 1:72nd scale Spitfires. First in April or May we will release the Spitfire Mk.Vc in the Profipack range, then we will continue with Limited Edition kits based on the Mk.Vb of various versions, and the Mk.Vc. These will include Eagle's Call, dedicated to American Spitfires, followed by Spitfire Story: Southern Star dedicated to the tropical Mk.Vb and Mk.Vc versions. We will follow them up with the Spitfire Mk.I and Mk.II both in the Profipack ange and as Limited Edition releases, which will again follow from the 48th scale versions released previously..

  As for 48th scale news, we are working on the P-40K. We will release it in both short and long versions in the second half of the year in both the Limited Edition and Profipack ranges. Another upcoming new item this year involves the MiG-15 family. We have the MiG-15 ready in both the basic MiG-15 and the MiG-15bis versions. The set of parts also includes parts for the Czechoslovak specific ground attack versions of the MiG-15SB and MiG-15bisSB. The first kit of the 48th scale MiG-15 will be released at the very end of the year, in November or December. We also have the design drawn up for a two-seat MiG-15UTI training version ready for the future, but we will probably incorporate this into the Hybrid series.

   

  Reboxes

   We have quite a few Limited Edition releases planned that will make use of other manufacturers’ plastic. Just a gnat’s hair from being released is ‘Alien’, a Mi-35 in 1:48 scale. We published a lot about that in December, so I assume you know what it is. We sold 720 pieces through pre-orders, the rest of the total circulation of 1000 pieces will go to selected retailers, where those who do not trust pre-orders or had other reasons for holding back will still have an opportunity to get their hands on this unique item. We will most likely ship the kits at the beginning of February. I do not know the exact date yet, because it is not yet clear how quickly the printing of decals with integrated positive riveting will go. We know that this is a complex technology that is not fully tested, and therefore it is not clear exactly how long the production will take. It may happen that we will ship these kits in January, but that is still uncertain.

  In February we should also ship ‘Strafers’, the HKM Eduard B-25J Mitchell in 1:48th scale. The plastic is on its way to us, they are now going by train and should now be somewhere in Turkey, maybe even somewhere in the Balkans. And to top it all off, we also have plastic for the 48th scale F/A-18C from Kinetic on the way. This will be included as part of April’s new releases.

  Other upcoming projects include a 48th scale A-20G Havoc and a B-25J Mitchell with a glass nose. This kit will be an extension of the 72nd scale Angel of Mercy release, with the same markings.

   

  Accessories

   I expect our accessory production to undergo a radical transformation this year. It is in response to technological changes and the associated changes in demand and sales. To make a long story short, we are selling fewer and fewer photoetched items and cast resin Brassin sets. Demand has shifted to 3D prints and Space sets. So, last year we retrained most of our PE designers to 3D design, and as you know, we are expanding our 3D printer farm to increase our 3D printing capacity. It is not an easy matter, it also involves building modifications and changes in the organization of work, but we are working hard on it and with a clear goal in mind. This does not mean that we will stop the production of photoetched sets altogether. There are still types of etchings that are in demand, for example, colored steel seatbelts are still selling very well. We will also leave the photoetched compnents in kits, in the Profipack and in the Limited Edition releases. They are also interesting for some new kits, and flaps are also selling well. So PE is far from being done, but overall we will purposefully reduce them and we will carefully choose which etched sets we will release for production.

   

  E-day and Other Events

   We have mentioned E-day quite a bit in the recent past and all of that is quite clear. I'll just recap that this year's E-day will take place from June 26th to 28th at the Zahrada Čech exhibition center in Litoměřice. And it will be two days, or rather two and a half days, opening on Friday afternoon.

   

  Monthly Info Newsletter and the EMD

   Our regular monthly newsletter will continue more or less unchanged, it will just take on some of the columns intended for the EMD, which is ending this month. If I had to briefly explain why the EMD is ending, it is because it is not profitable for us. It sells too little to sustain itself in its present form. When we started with EMD, we believed that, given the readership figures of our regular monthly, the EMD could be a commercially interesting project. But that did not come true. The truth is that readers do not want to pay for Internet content, even at relatively small costs. We were unable to break through this block, so we decided to end the project and devote the time spent on it to something more useful. For example, the publications that come with many of oour Limited Edition releases. There is a lot of interest in those.

   

  Model Exhibitions

   On Saturday, January 10th, we will be in Prostějov at an event organized by the on-line retailer MN Modelář. We will be giving lectures there about much of what you have just read, a large part of which will be dedicated to 3D printing and the Hybrid series. At the end of January, from the 27th to the 31st, we will be in Nuremberg at the Spielenwaren Messe, as we do every year at this time. We still haven't given up, even though we are one of the few who are still at the fair. If you are going to Nuremberg, stop by for a coffee and let’s chat.

   

  And that will be it for me for now. I hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter, and I wish you all happy modeling!

   

  Vladimir Sulc

  
  

• The Rebirth of a Canadian Junkers

  
  

  Text: Petr Uzsák

  Photos: Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada

  
  

  Professor Hugo Junkers‘ company was a highly progressive airplanes‘ manufacturer. For example, as early as the First World War it was already mass-producing all-metal combat airplanes-at a time when wood and fabric still unquestionably dominated other aviation designs.

  This article, however, focuses the post-war aviation, more precisely, a single-engine transport airplane that was operated in the harsh and inhospitable Canadian tundra. Her factory designation was Junkers F 13gle, construction number 2050, and she was registred as CF-ALX. She was built at the beginning of 1930, sold to Canada in May of that year, and registered there the same month. Her owner became the Air Land Manufacturing Company, which used her together with her sister airplane CF-AMX—for the operational tasks in support of mining activities. Given the then poorly developed infrastructure of rural Canada, it is hardly surprising that the airplane was equipped with floats, allowing it to land on many local lakes and other waterways. As of June 1930, the airplane was christened City of Prince George.

  The company operated the airplane for full three years before it was sold, on May 17th, 1933, to the merchant and farmer Victor Spencer of Vancouver, Canada, who was also active in the mineral industry. Likewise the previous owner, he used her for a similar range of tasks-not for long though.

  Her sudden demise came on Sunday, July 23rd 1933, about 120 kilometers north of Lake Takla, near Lake McConnell in the province of British Columbia. After takeoff, the aircraft lost altitude due to descending air currents, clipped the treetops, and subsequently made a forced landing in a rocky terrain. The pilot was William McCluskey, the flight mechanic Fred Staines, and there were two passengers on board. Fortunately, the accident claimed no lives; all four occupants were only slightly injured, but the aircraft itself was effectively a write-off. Despite the remoteness of the location, some parts of the aircraft were later salvaged.

  After the accident, the wreck laid at the site for many decades virtually untouched, until in the summer of 1981 it was recovered by several enthusiasts and transported to the storage facilities of the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada (RAMWC) in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

  After many years in storage, in 2006 a loan and restoration agreement was reached with the Berlin Technical Museum. This was followed by the airplane‘s transport aboard a Lufthansa MD-11 freighter from Chicago to Frankfurt am Main, from where it was transported on the ground to Berlin. The cargo airplane was flown by Captain Claus Cordes, who, incidentally, is also a pilot of the vintage Junkers airplanes such as the sport A 50 or the transport Ju 52. In addition he also flew the Lockheed Super Constellation.

  After several years on display in Berlin, the Junkers wreck was transported to Hungary, where it underwent a long and demanding restoration to her original condition. This work was carried out in Héreg near Budapest, home to a well-known workshop specializing in the vintage aircraft restoration. Their work can be seen in many museums.

  Following its return to Canada in September 2024, the final finishing work was completed. In order to preserve her historical authenticity, the float landing gear was reinstalled in May 2025, and in this configuration the Junkers is now on display in the RAMWC museum in Winnipeg. Unfortunately, the airplane currently lacks the engine. Regardless, she makes an extraordinary impression in the exhibition.

  The Junkers F 13 left an indelible mark on the world aviation and it can be said outright to have been one of the airplanes that helped transform the commercial air transport. This was primarily due to its advanced all-metal design, operational reliability and sturdiness which also contributed to the promotion of the aviation as a whole. Her successors included, for example, the single-engine W 34 and the three-engine G 23/24, and the most famous Ju 52. In total, around 320 airframes of the “Thirteen” were produced between 1919 and 1930. Other surviving original airplanes can be found, for example, at the Air and Space Museum in Le Bourget near Paris, the Deutsches Museum in Munich, or the Transport Museum in Budapest.

  In the pre-war Czechoslovakia, two examples of the “Thirteen” were in use—one with Czechoslovak registration and another with a German one. In 1932, the footwear businessman Tomáš Baťa was killed while aboard on one of these airplanes.

  Modeler’s note: 1/48 scale replica of this airplane can be built from the recently released MiniArt plastic model.

   

• Air War over Ukraine

  Death of Rare Birds

   

  Text: Miro Barič

   

  In today’s installment of the series, we look at the period from 1 November 2025 to 30 November 2025. During an attack on the Beriev plant in Taganrog, Russia lost two unique test aircraft in the monitored month: the Beriev A-60 and the Beriev A-100LL.

   

  On the ground front, Russian pressure continued at several locations. The most critical situations were around Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad in Donetsk Oblast, Huliaipole in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast. In the case of the latter, on Thursday, 20 November, Russian General Sergey Kuzovlev even announced in a live television broadcast to Putin that the city had been completely captured—allegedly as early as 4 November—and received a decoration for it. However, this was not true. Only small Russian units (estimated at around 200 soldiers) had infiltrated Kupiansk, and Ukrainian forces recaptured most of the city. When this deception came to light, General Kuzovlev disappeared and was later found dead.

  In the other mentioned cities, however, the situation was far worse for Ukrainian defenders. The reason was not only Russian pressure, which relied primarily on infiltration by small groups and disruption of the Ukrainian rear. Frontline positions were patched together by various units with poor coordination. When the enemy bypassed them on the flanks, withdrawal orders often did not arrive in time, and some units were lost as a result. Ultimate responsibility for this long-unresolved situation lies with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi.

  On the very first day of the monitored period, Saturday, 1st of November, Ukrainian military intelligence special forces (GUR) attempted to reverse the unfavorable situation in Pokrovsk. During the operation, GUR chief Kyrylo Budanov was reportedly personally present in the city. From the perspective of the air war, it is particularly noteworthy that the operation included a helicopter deployment. GUR operates several UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, including one purchased by donations from the Czech Republic and named Čestmír. It is unclear how many helicopters were used; drone reconnaissance footage captured only one. The mission of the special forces was to penetrate and clear supply routes within the city that had been infiltrated by Russian troops. The course and outcome of the operation remain unknown. Russia claims that all Ukrainian soldiers were killed shortly after disembarking from the helicopter, which Ukraine denies. While the mission was close to suicidal, the Ukrainians likely achieved some success, as the situation improved—albeit only temporarily.

  In this context, it is also notable that a few days later Czech pro-Russian disinformation actors began spreading claims that the Čestmír helicopter took part in the Pokrovsk operation and was shot down with all personnel on board. However, even the Russian side made no such claim—and Kremlin propaganda would certainly have exploited the downing of a Black Hawk. Russian statements only claimed that Ukrainian special forces were eliminated after landing during ground combat. No mention was made of a helicopter being destroyed. Moreover, the helicopter seen in the video shows different paint details and was likely not Čestmír at all.

   Infiltration of the Ukrainian special forces from a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter near Pokrovsk.

  
  

  Russian Losses

  As far as aviation losses are concerned, November was a successful month for Ukraine. It suffered no known losses, while the Russian Air Force lost several aircraft. On Thursday, 13 November, a Sukhoi Su-30SM2 fighter was destroyed. This loss was not directly related to combat in Ukraine, although years of war undoubtedly take a toll on aircraft condition and crew fatigue. The aircraft crashed at Besovets Air Base in Karelia, near the Finnish border, just a few hundred meters from the runway. Both pilots were killed. One was identified as Lieutenant Colonel Kirill Kartsev.

  Other Russian losses were directly caused by Ukraine. On Friday, 21 November, Ukrainian military intelligence GUR released video footage of a drone attack on a Kamov Ka-27 helicopter at Prymorskyi Air Base in Crimea. The attack itself had occurred earlier, likely at the beginning of the month. Only drone footage was released; the aftermath was not documented by other means, such as satellite imagery.

  By contrast, the attack on Tuesday, 25 November, is very well documented by both ground footage and satellite images. Ukrainian drones struck Taganrog-South Airfield on the coast of the Sea of Azov in Russia’s Rostov Oblast. This site is the G. M. Beriev Taganrog Aviation Scientific-Technical Complex, in other words, the Beriev factory. Satellite imagery revealed multiple hits on the assembly hall (holes in the roof) and two aircraft destroyed on the apron: a Beriev A-60 and a Beriev A-100LL. In both cases, these were experimental test aircraft based on the Ilyushin Il-76 transport platform.

  The A-60 originated in the late 1970s and early 1980s and was used to test laser weapons. Two examples were built; the aircraft destroyed in Taganrog carried the registration RA-86879. Its explosion was also captured on video. Officially, this A-60 was retired in 2016, but in 2020 reports emerged of new laser weapon development and testing, accompanied by fresh flight footage of the aircraft. In July 2021, however, it was definitively grounded at the location where it was now destroyed.

  Just a few meters away stood the A-100LL, registration RF-93953, tail number “Red 52,” which had been parked since December 2023. The “LL” designation stands for Flying Laboratory. This aircraft was intended to test electronic systems for the successor to the A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft. A true A-100 prototype was later built, after which the A-100LL was parked, although it is likely that ground tests continued.

  In both cases, these were unique aircraft that had largely already fulfilled their purpose and had been parked long-term. Their destruction therefore made sense primarily for propaganda purposes, boosting the prestige of Ukrainian drone units. From a military standpoint, the significance was limited. It is likely that the main target was the Beriev production hall, and the aircraft were destroyed simply because they had not moved for a long time. Their fixed coordinates allowed long-range drones to be dispatched with confidence that the targets would not relocate. In such deep strikes inside Russian territory, Ukrainians cannot remotely control drones and instead send them to pre-programmed coordinates.

   Beriev A-100LL, photographed years ago on a Russian spotters’ website by a user named bonsai.

  Footage from a Ukrainian FPV drone during an attack on a Ka-27 helicopter in Crimea.

  Video still of the Beriev A-60 aircraft explosion.

  Satellite image of Taganrog-South Airfield from 2024. The Beriev A-60 (left inset) and Beriev A-100LL (right inset) were already parked at that time.

  Satellite image showing the destroyed aircraft after an attack.

  
  

  Attack on Ternopil

  Russia continued its systematic attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Among the many air raids that occurred almost every night, one stood out—the attack carried out in the early Wednesday morning, 19th of November. Russia launched 476 drones and 48 cruise missiles, primarily targeting western Ukraine. The strike involved six Tu-95MS and four Tu-160MS bombers, which launched Kh-101 missiles. Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 442 drones and 41 missiles.

   It was these Kh-101 missiles from Russian strategic bombers that penetrated the city of Ternopil. In the final phase of flight, they deployed infrared decoys to reduce interception chances. Industrial facilities and energy infrastructure were hit, but two nine-story apartment buildings also suffered direct hits and were largely destroyed. Thirty-eight people were killed, including seven children, and more than one hundred were injured. This was one of the deadliest Russian air attacks since the start of the war.

  Meanwhile, Russian propaganda repeatedly claims that it strikes only military targets with surgical precision and causes no harm to civilians. The Kremlin clearly has a good teacher in the fight against “Nazism.” Who was it that said a lie repeated a hundred times becomes the truth? Was it the Nazi Goebbels?

   A Russian Kh-101 missile attack on apartment buildings in Ternopil killed 38 civilians, including seven children.

  
  

  Tanker Explosions

  On the Ukrainian side, a new type of attack appeared during the monitored period: naval drones targeting tankers of Russia’s shadow fleet. These vessels are scattered worldwide, often in questionable technical condition, and are used by Moscow to export oil under international sanctions. As a result, they cannot be insured or serviced in ports.

  In the Black Sea, on Saturday, 29 November, naval drones Sea Baby struck two tankers, Kairos and Virat. Both were empty and heading to Novorossiysk to load oil. Both ships were hit in the stern, where their engines and fuel tanks are located. Fires broke out on both vessels but were later extinguished, and the damaged tankers remained afloat.

  Another attack occurred in an unexpected location: the tanker Mersin was hit by four “external explosions” while anchored off the coast of Senegal in West Africa. As a result of the naval drone attack, the engine room was flooded.

   Ukrainian naval drones attacking Russian tankers in the Black Sea.

  Damaged tanker the day after the fire was extinguished.

  
  

  Ex-Slovak MiGs in Action

  Several new images appeared during the monitored period showing ex-Slovak MiG-29AS fighters, which Ukraine received in spring 2023. They are thus still operational more than two and a half years later. Two photographs of two different aircraft were released, both equipped with pylons for guided bombs. One aircraft appears capable of carrying GBU-39 SDB (Small Diameter Bomb) munitions, while the other has pylons for GBU-39 JDAM-ER (Joint Direct Attack Munition – Extended Range). The former Slovak aircraft have thus gained capabilities in Ukrainian service that they never had at home, as Slovak Air Force MiG-29AS fighters were not equipped for precision ground attack.

  At the same time, cockpit video footage was released showing an ex-Slovak MiG-29AS in action. The aircraft was flying a mission in the frontline area (likely a bombing mission) when it was targeted by Russian air-defense missiles. The pilot was forced to evade through a series of violent maneuvers at very low altitude. That it was a former Slovak aircraft was confirmed by the BAE Systems AN/APX-113(V) IFF antennas, visible in front of the windscreen on the upper fuselage. Slovak MiG-29AS fighters received these during modernization in 2005–2006.

   New images of the ex-Slovak MiG-29AS fighters. The characteristic antenna behind the cockpit, overpainted original markings, and heavily worn paint can be noticed.

  A cockpit video still of a wildly maneuvering ex-Slovak MiG.

  
  

  Ground Equipment for Mirage 2000

  Ukraine is also preparing for the future strengthening of its air force. Some time ago, the Ukrainian Air Force received mobile mission-planning complexes for its F-16 fighters, which constantly relocate between bases to avoid detection by Russian missiles. Not all airfields, however, are adequately equipped for Western fighters, so necessary equipment is transported by truck.

  After the F-16s, the Ukrainian Air Force has now received similar mobile ground support complexes for Mirage 2000-5F aircraft delivered from France. In addition, it has acquired mobile meteorological stations, further improving mission planning and preparation.

  In France, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron signed a framework agreement on new air-defense systems and Rafale fighter jets on Monday, 17 November. At least regarding the fighters, this is similar to the agreement Zelenskyy signed a month earlier in Sweden on Gripen fighters—that is, an agreement on possible future deliveries. Should such purchases actually take place, they would form part of the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine’s air force. First, however, a sustainable peace must be achieved—not a Ukrainian capitulation along the lines of the November U.S. proposal, which, according to all available information, was dictated from the Kremlin.

  Ukrainian Mirage 2000-5F fighters received the mobile ground support equipment and meteorological stations.

  This Ukrainian drone failed to reach its target. Footage of its wreckage was published by Russian media.

  A series of images of the Ukrainian MiG-29 fighters which belong to the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade.

  
  

• In the service of the Gendamerie

  Text: Jan Zdiarský 

  Illustrations: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  Cat. No. 948012

   

  The roots of the post-war Police Air Patrol of the Security Air Force in Czechoslovakia date back to the First Czechoslovak Republic. As early as the 1930s, the Gendarmerie Air Patrol (Četnické letecké hlídky - ČLH) was established, which was a relatively modern tool of the young  Czechoslovakia state for the surveillance of its territory, especially its border areas. These units of the Ministry of the Interior were formally established on July 1, 1935, and were based on the Czechoslovak Air Police, which had been established by parliament shortly before (June 12, 1935). The main tasks of the ČLH were observation, search and communication activities, monitoring the state borders, searching for wanted persons, assisting in natural disasters, and supporting gendarmerie units in difficult-to-reach terrain. The ČLH did not constitute a separate armed force, but was closely linked to the army air force in terms of organization and personnel. The ČLH also played a special role during the May and September mobilizations of 1938, when their reconnaissance flights around the borders not only helped to monitor the situation in the border area of Nazi Germany, but also contributed to efforts to calm the hot situation in the Czechoslovak Sudetenland. The fact that these efforts were subsequently thwarted by the betrayal of Czechoslovakia's allies, and that the border areas were torn away from the country and annexed primarily to Germany, in no way detracts from the merits of the ČLH members during this tense period. After the German occupation in March 1939, the ČLH was disbanded. Some of its members subsequently left the country and joined the fight against Nazism, particularly as members the RAF.

  After the occupation and World War II, Czechoslovakia found itself in a completely new security and political situation. The restoration of state power after 1945 led to the creation of the National Security Corps (Sbor národní bezpečnosti - SNB), which included an air force component. The tradition of the ČLH was continued in 1945 by the National Security Air Force, renamed the Police Air Patrol of the Security Air Force in December 1947. Similar to the ČLH, its main task was to control the borders and support the security forces. While in the interwar period, the primary use of aircraft was for police and observation purposes, post-war tasks were linked to the problems of Czechoslovakia, which was still finding its feet in the turbulent years of 1945–48. At that time, the main tasks were to protect Czechoslovak airspace, control civil air traffic, search for criminals, search service after air accidents, and provide rescue services in the event of natural disasters.

  From 1946 to 1948, a total of ten Security Air Force air patrols were established in Czechoslovakia. These air patrols were again deployed with an emphasis on the border areas. However, given the anticipated tasks, the interior was not neglected either. At that time, they were stationed in Prague, Pilsen, Carlsbad, Jičín, Brno, Olomouc, Bratislava, Rimavská Sobota, and Košice.

  The Police Air Patrol, began a completely new chapter after the communist coup in February 1948. Its tasks were adapted to the needs of the communist government, which was enslaving Czechoslovakia within the Eastern Bloc and, last but not least, to the needs of the emerging Iron Curtain.

  With the establishment of the Ministry of National Security in 1950 and the transfer of powers between the SNB and the army, or rather the military air force, the Police Air Patrol underwent a significant decline until it was abolished a day before the Christmas Eve 1950.

  However, the spherical triangle, a specific variant of the Czechoslovak aircraft insignia used by the pre-war ČLH, did not disappear. In January 1951, the Security Flight was established, later renamed the Aviation Unit (Letecký oddíl) of the Ministry of the Interior, whose tasks were similar to those of the Police Air Patrol, but with greater emphasis on transport and courier activities, and from the 1970s onwards also as support for the traffic police. Helicopters found wider application, gradually replacing classic aircraft. From the late 1980s, the aircraft of the Aviation Administration of the Federal Ministry of the Interior (as this unit was renamed in 1979) were used increasingly for rescue and search operations. This is also the function and form in which we perceive the police helicopter fleet in the Czech Republic today.

  The use of Avia S-199 aircraft between 1947 and 1950 represents a special chapter in the history of the Police Air Patrol. This type, which arose from post-war efforts to resume the production of fighter aircraft in conditions of a shortage of suitable engines, was originally intended primarily for the army air force. Its inclusion in the arsenal of the Police forces was largely a temporary solution, resulting from the availability of technology and the tense situation at the end of the 1940s, when the boundaries between military and police tasks were often blurred.

  The Police Air Patrol represented an important chapter in Czechoslovak aviation history. It combined the experience of the ČLH service during Czechoslovakia’s early years, with modern post-war technologies and, in the form of Avia S-199 aircraft, with technical compromises that were typical of both the post-war reconstruction of the state and the coming decades of the Cold War.

• Medal of Honor

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Illustrations: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  Cat. No. 84209

   

  The boxart of the January P-51 release is symbolic in many respects, both for the deployment of this type over the Europe and for its pilot, Major James Howell Howard. The painting depicts Howard’s victory over a Bf 110 on 30 January 1944, thanks to which he became the first ace of the 354th FG.

  “Jimmy” Howard was born in April 1913 to American parents living in Canton, China. His father worked as an ophthalmologist. When “Jimmy” was fourteen years old, the family returned to the USA and settled in St. Louis, Missouri.

  In 1937 James Howard graduated from college and intended to continue studying medicine, but ultimately decided to join the U.S. Navy. In August 1939, he became a naval aviator, with the rank of Ensign, and successively served with three different fighter units, including VF-6 aboard USS Saratoga.

  In June 1941, however, he joined the American Volunteer Group (AVG), known as Flying Tigers. During the fighting in China, as a flight leader within the 2nd Squadron of the AVG, he destroyed four Japanese aircraft on the ground, shot down two fighters, and was credited with a one-third share in the destruction of one reconnaissance aircraft.

  In January 1943, with the rank of Captain, he was assigned to the 332nd FS of the 329th FG. This was an operational training unit equipped with P-38s. It operated from several bases in California, and Howard served with it until May 1943. His next posting became the 354th Fighter Group, which was preparing in California for combat deployment with P-39s.

  James Howard assumed command of the 356th Fighter Squadron, replacing Capt. Charles Johnson, a veteran of combat over New Guinea. Howard inherited from Johnson a group of highly motivated pilots, but it was Howard himself who, through his rigorous leadership and a training program based on experience from the AVG, turned his airmen into a perfectly prepared, cooperative, and aggressive team.

  At the turn of October and November 1943, the 354th FG sailed to Great Britain. At that time, American command in Europe decided that units equipped with P-51B Mustangs powered by Merlin engines would be administratively assigned to the 9th Air Force, but operationally subordinated to the 8th Air Force. The Mustangs were a key reinforcement for heavy bomber escorts.

  The first unit to receive Merlin-powered Mustangs was the 354th FG, which is why it earned the nickname “Pioneer Mustang Group”; this was not, however, an official combat designation. Its enthusiastic pilots were given only two weeks to convert to the new type!

  The unit actually took off for combat for the first time on 1 December according the dead-line. But its first confirmed aerial victory was scored only on its fifth mission, on 16 December, when Lt. Charles F. Gumm was credited with a Bf 109 during a raid on Bremen.

  Before the end of 1943, James Howard also contributed to the first successes when he shot down a Bf 109 on 20 December. It is not clear, however, whether he achieved this victory in his personal aircraft marked AJ-A.

  Howard’s great day came on 11 January 1944, during the raid on Halberstadt and Oschersleben. On this mission he flew aircraft AJ-X and led the formation of the entire 354th FG.

  His task was to cover the bombers over the target. He sent one squadron ahead to cover the forward box and, with two squadrons, covered the rear boxes. After the first encounter with enemy fighters, Howard found himself alone, without his flight. Despite this disadvantage, he decided to stay with the bombers in the central part of the Combat Wing and, over the course of thirty minutes, attacked German aircraft within his reach a total of five times. Gradually, three of his Mustang’s machine guns ceased firing, but he managed to claim two Bf 110s and one Fw 190 as confirmed kills, one Bf 109 as a probable, and damaged another.

  During the hour-long battle, the Pioneer Mustang Group claimed 16 confirmed victories, 7 probables, and 19 damaged aircraft.

  After returning to England, the 401st BG reported in, having searched for the lone Mustang pilot that had defended them for thirty minutes against 30 to 40 German aircraft. It was Howard, and the crews aboard the B-17 bombers testified that Howard had achieved six confirmed kills. Howard, however, refused any change to his claims.

  The modest Howard was somewhat taken aback by the press attention and took it poorly that the press officers forced him to use symbols of the Japanese aircraft he had destroyed on the ground beneath his cockpit.

  For his performance on 11 January 1944, James Howard was awarded the Medal of Honor on 5 June. He was the only fighter pilot on the Western European battlefield to receive the highest American decoration. When Lieutenant General Carl Spaatz presented it to him, Howard modestly told the press: “I seen my duty and I done it.”

• Markings for Spitfire Story: The Sweeps 1/72

  COL A

  W3457, F/O James E. Johnson, No. 616 Squadron, RAF Tangmere, the United Kingdom, August 1941

  “Johnnie” Johnson was the Commonwealth’s most successful fighter ace with 41 confirmed kills. After pilot training in August 1940, he was briefly assigned to No. 19 Squadron and transferred to No. 616 Squadron in early September. In the spring of 1941, Tangmere Wing commander Douglas Bader chose him as his wingman in his four-man formation. After Bader was shot down and captured on August 9, 1941, Johnson had the words BADER’S BUS Co. STILL RUNNING painted on the left side of the fuel tank cover of his Spitfire W3457. On the right side of the fuselage, W3457 bore the inscription CYNON VALLEY, referring to the urban areas of Aberdare and Mountain Ash Glamorgan, which had paid for this Spitfire through a fundraising campaign. Preserved photographs confirm the application of the new Fighter Command camouflage valid from August 15, 1941, in shades of Dark Green, Mixed Gray, and Medium Sea Gray.

   

  COL B

  W3817, S/Ldr Richard M. Milne, No. 92 squadron, RAF Gravessend, the United Kingdomn, August-December 1941

  “Dickie” Milne became an ace with No. 151 Squadron during the Battle of Britain and was transferred to No. 92 Squadron based at Biggin Hill in mid-1941. Initially, he was serving as commander of A Flight but overtook the command of the entire Squadron in September. On January 19, 1942, he took command of No. 222 Squadron at North Weald and led it until May, when he ended his operational tour. In early January 1943, he was appointed commander of the elite wing at Biggin Hill. On March 14, 1943, after shooting down an Fw 190, Dickie was shot down by an Fw-190A-4 from II/JG 26 during a dogfight over Berck-Sur-Mer and was captured. After his liberation in May 1945, he was discharged from the RAF in 1946 as a Wing Commander. During his wartime career, he shot down 15 enemy aircraft plus one probably and damaged 11. The Spitfire W3817, which Milne flew as commander of No. 92 Squadron, was a presentation aircraft from Wellinborough, acquired with funds raised by the Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph. It already bore the new Fighter Command camouflage in shades of Dark Green, Ocean Grey (Mixed Grey), and Medium Sea Grey. On the left side of the fuel tank cover, it bore the inscription “New Yorklin” and under the cockpit there were 11 black and white crosses painted as killmarks.

   

  COL C

  BL973, F/Lt Stanislav Fejfar, No. 313 (Czechoslovak) Squadron, RAF Hornchurch, the United Kingdom, March-May 1942

  Stanislav Fejfar, a member of Czechoslovak Air Force before the war, flew as commander of 45th Fighter Squadron based in Slovakia during the Munich crisis. He scored his first two kills during the Battle of France as a member of Armee de l’Air flying MS.406 with GC I/6. On July 12, 1940 he arrived in Great Britain aboard the ship Neuralia. On September 9, he started his operational career as a Pilot Officer with No. 310 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF scoring his first out of three kills claimed during the Battle of Britain. On July 21, 1941, he joined No. 313 (Czechoslovak) Squadron as a F/Lt in the position of B Flight leader. Stanislav Fejfar perished on May 17, 1942, in the cockpit of Spitfire Mk.Vb BL973 during the Ramrod 33 mission. He was shot down by Hptm. Josef Priller between Guines and Audebert in the northern France. A couple of days earlier Priller had also shot down Sergeant Karel Pavlík, author of Pluto the Dog nose art on Fejfar’s Spitfire.

   

  COL D

  BM124, S/Ldr Brendan E. F. Finnucane, CO of No. 602 Squadron, RAF Kenley, United Kingdom, April 1942

  Spitfire s/n BM124 was a presentation aircraft donated to Britain by Queen Salote of Tonga and assigned to S/Ldr Brendan Finucane. It was delivered on March 14, 1942, and Finucane was flying with it continuously until June 18, 1942, when he hit the ground with the tip of the wing while landing at Redhill. The aircraft was severely damaged, and although it was returned to the unit after extensive repairs, Finucane did not fly it again. He scored his last victories in its cockpit. Finucane’s BM124, was repainted on the upper surfaces in Dark Slate Grey / Extra Dark Sea Grey naval shades. Under the front badge, he had his personal Shamrock emblem and the fuselage letter W painted on. For propaganda purposes, the inscription QUEEN of SALOTE was painted on the fuel tank cover in May. As it later turned out, the inscription was not written correctly, and the Air Ministry submitted an amendment requesting that the photographs taken be changed from QUEEN of SALOTE to QUEEN SALOTE. The word “of” was thus roughly scraped off the negatives. Out of respect for the origins and traditions of No. 602 Squadron, Finucane had the squadron’s emblem, a red Scottish lion rampant in a yellow shield, placed on the engine cowlings of the No. 602 Squadron Spitfires. During his wartime career, Finucane achieved 32 aerial victories, becoming the third most successful Spitfire pilot during World War II.

   

  COL E

  BM324, F/Lt Bernard Dupérier (Baron Léon Sternberg de Armella), No. 340 (Free French) Squadron, RAF Westhampnett, West Sussex, the United Kingdom, July 1942

  Bernard Dupérier, whose real name was Leon Sternberg de Armella, enlisted in the Free French Air Force in New York on January 15, 1941 under his mother’s maiden name. Having served with No. 242 and No. 615 Squadrons RAF, in October 1941 he joined No. 340 (Free French) Squadron (GC II/4 Ille-de-France) as B Flight (Versailles) leader. As of May 1, 1942, he assumed command of the whole squadron. From December 1942 he served at FAFL Headquarters. From August 30, 1943, he was given command of No. 341 (Free French) Squadron (GC III/2 Alsace) and from September 1943 he commanded the Biggin Hill Wing. On June 25, 1944, he was parachuted to Bretagne where he acted as a commander of 3. Headquarters of FFI. On August 6, 1944, during the liberation of the city of Saint-Brieuc he was severely wounded. He returned to the duty in April 1945. After the hostilities he worked in several positions including Air France director. In 1958 he entered the world of politics and in 1962 was elected member of Parliament. The white stripes on the nose and horizontal tail surfaces of his BM324, in which he scored two victories, pertain to the cancelled invasion operation Rutter scheduled for July 7, 1942. This markings are mistakenly attributed to the operation Jubilee in which No. 340 (Free French) Squadron also took part.

   

  COL F

  BM564, P/O André M. A. F. Plisnier, No. 350 (Belgium) Squadron, RAF Redhill, Surrey, United Kingdom, summer - fall 1942

  Spitfire Mk.Vb BM564 flew with No. 350 (Belgium) Squadron from April 30, 1942 till December 27, 1942. During this period all sixteen Spitfires of the unit sported presentation inscriptions from a list which allocated the inscription Léopoldville to BM564. This aircraft was almost exclusively flown by well-known Belgian pilot and ace P/O André Marie Alfred Frederick Plisnier who in its cockpit scored four kills, two during the operation Jubilee, landing at Dieppe on August 19, 1942 and two more kills later in November. His total score during the war was six kills. The presentation inscription Léopoldville is also included in the later list of the Belgium presentation Spitfires and allocated to AA720. This aircraft flew missions briefly, from June 6, 1944 till June 10, 1944 when the pilot F/Lt Alec Alexander perished in it. At that time this airplane certainly sported the invasion stripes and its windshield probably featured the integrated armored glass. Apparently it didn’t sport anymore the nose art under the canopy.

   

  COL G

  EN951, S/Ldr Jan Zumbach, CO of No. 303 (Polish) Squadron, RAF Kirton in Lindsey, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, September 1942

  Jan Zumbach, a grandson of a Swiss emigrant, Swiss citizen himself, served with No. 111 Fighter Squadron of the Polish Air Force from 1938. After Poland was defeated he fought in the ranks of the French GCD I/55. On August 2, 1940, he joined No. 303 (Polish) Squadron with which he scored eight kills during the Battle of Britain. On May 17, 1942, he was given command of No. 303 (Polish) Squadron. From the end of September till December 1942 he flew Spitfire EN951, the former personal mount of Don Blakeslee from the USAAF 336th FS, 4th FG. The aircraft sported Zumbach’s personal emblem in the form of Donald the Duck nose art, known in several versions from several Zumbach’s Spitfires. During the war, in which end he was shot down and briefly imprisoned, Jan Zumbach’s total score was thirteen confirmed kills and five probables. His life after the war is no less colorful than during wartime. He engaged in the international arm dealing, often illegal, and fought as a mercenary in Africa, in the service of the insurgent forces in Katanga and later Biafra. He died under unclear circumstances in Paris on January 3, 1986.

   

  COL H

  EN824, F/Lt John Yarra, No. 453 Squadron RAAF, RAF Ipswich, Suffolk, United Kingdom, December 1942

  Nicknamed “Slim”, Yarra was one of the most successful pilots defending the island of Malta during the hot summer of 1942. During the tough battles for Malta he scored 12 kills. In September 1942 he was promoted to Flight Lieutenant and assigned to the Australian No. 453 Squadron, part of the Hornchurch Wing, flying offensive raids over France. F/Lt Yarra’s fateful date came on December 10, 1942, when during the attack on a shipping at the Holland coast, his Spitfire EN824 was hit by AA fire and crashed into the sea. He tried to bail out of the damaged aircraft but was hit by the tail surfaces damaging his parachute, which did not fully deploy. Pilot’s body hit the sea surface falling from 300 meters. His brother Robert Ernest, fighter pilot as well, was also shot down by the AA fire and killed on April 14, 1944, while attacking the V-1 missiles launching pads at Ligescourt (operation Ramrod 735).

   

  COL I

  W3518, S/Ldr Count Franz F. Colloredo-Mansfeld, CO of No. 132 Squadron, RAF Newchurch, Kent, United Kingdom, September 1943

  An American citizen, Harvard University graduate, Franz Ferdinand Count of Colloredo-Mansfeld, was born in Rome, the son of an Austrian diplomat, Count Ferdinand Colloredo-Mansfeld (1878-1967) and his American spouse Eleonor, born Iselin. After 1918 the family settled in the USA. Before the USA entry into WWII, Franz Ferdinand volunteered for RAF where he achieved the rank of Squadron Leader and on August 15, 1943, he assumed the command of No. 132 Squadron. On September 9, 1943, flying Spitfire Mk.Vb W3518 he participated in the mock invasion operation Starkey which purpose was to create fear of invasion in the German Command and lure the German troops out of Italy and the Eastern Front to the West. On that occasion the wing tips were painted with black and white identification stripes, predecessors of the later well-known invasion stripes used during the operation Overlord. S/Ldr Franz F. Colloredo-Mansfeld perished in his Spitfire Mk.IX near Berck-sur-Mer on January 14, 1944.

   

  COL J

  EN921, F/O Jackson E. Sheppard, No. 401 Squadron RCAF, RAF Biggin Hill, United Kingdom, October 1943

  “Jack” Sheppard, originally a dock worker, enlisted in the RCAF in 1939 and till August 1940 served with No. 120 Squadron. In August 1941 he completed the pilot training at No. 53 OTU and in November 1941 was assigned to No. 43 Squadron. In December he volunteered for the convoy escorts. On February 10, 1942, he crashed into the sea in Hurricane Z4569 having been catapulted from a deck of a transport boat. In July 1943 he became an A Flight leader with No. 401 Squadron. In April 1944 he assumed command of a flight of the No. 412 Squadron and led the unit till August 2 when he was shot down by German fighters in Normandy. He managed to avoid capture and returned to the unit. On August 22 he was decorated with DFC and in October he returned to Canada. In February 1946 he finally left the military service. Jackson Sheppard flew Spitfire serialed EN921 on regular basis from July till October 1943. Even though he did not score any of his five kills in its cockpit, he flew this aircraft on many offensive sweeps including the mock operation Starkey on September 9, 1943.

   

  COL K

  EP829, S/Ldr John J. Lynch, No. 249 Squadron, Krendi, Malta, May 1943

  John Joseph Lynch was born on February 3, 1918, in Alhambra, California. In 1941, he joined the RAF and his first assignment was with No. 232 Squadron. The following month, he was attached to No. 121 “Eagle” Squadron. This was followed by a stint with No. 71 “Eagle” Squadron, during which he shared in the destruction of a Ju 88 on April 17, 1942. In November 1942, he was transferred to Malta and assigned to No. 249 Squadron, with which he actively participated in its defense. At the beginning of 1943, he was promoted to Commander of the unit and recorded a number of victories over Axis transport aircraft supplying Tunisia. The Ju 52 kill came about on April 28, being the 1,000th kill recorded by the defenders of Malta. In July 1943, he was reassigned to the USAAF but saw no combat with the service. Spitfire EP829, with which Lynch flew from February to May 1943 as a member of No. 249 Squadron, was part of Operation “Train”, which represented the final shipment of Spitfires to the defenders of Malta, delivered by an aircraft carrier. EP829 initially had clipped wings and later flew with the standard span wings. The main fuel tank cover carried the Squadron Commander marking and seven kill markings that were recorded up to April 28, 1943. Below the windscreen, there was an inscription “Malta’s 1000”, in honor of that kill over Malta. Over his combat career, Lynch recorded 17 kills (ten individual and seven shared), along with a single probable and two damaged enemy aircraft.

• Markings for Avia S-199 bubble canopy 1/48

  COL A

  Police Air Patrol, Brno/Olomouc, Czechoslovakia, 1949

  The Police Air Patrol of the Security Air Force (until mid-December 1947 the National Security Air Force) used this aircraft at Brno and Olomouc airports. At the time of its service with the Police Air Patrol, it bore the standard livery of this air force, i.e., light grey paint on the upper surfaces and dark grey on the lower surfaces, complemented by scarlet paint on the nose and leading edge of the wing. Also, the horizontal tail surfaces were the same color. The reconstruction of the color scheme was based on photographs of similar aircraft as no photographs of OK-BXK have survived. The serial number is still unknown, but could probably be 201, 410 or in the range 414 to 416. There is full range of digits for creating any number.

   

  COL B

  S-199.210, Aviation Regiment 5, Plzeň-Bory, Czechoslovakia, 1950

  Nose-art was rare on Czechoslovak Air Force aircraft in the 1950´s and 1960´s. Rigid discipline and regulations did not favor such activities, but from time to time commanders apparently turned a blind eye to a certain level of expressionism. Something like this may have happened in 1949 or 1950 at LP 5 (Aviation Regiment 5). A carefully crafted heraldic silhouette in white appeared on the aircraft. We will probably never know which emblem was to be subsequently added to it, because before the painting could be finished, the aircraft suffered an emergency landing. During subsequent repairs, the aircraft either received a new engine cowling or the in-progress nose-art was deleted. One likely possibility of the original intent might be the emblem of the local football club Baník Líně. As a result, this aircraft can be modeled in both states, i.e., with the white coat of arms only, or in the form it probably would have taken, if higher powers had not intervened. We don't know if the emblem would have been painted on the starboard side as well, since only the port side was photographed. However, decals are provided for either version. This aircraft was subsequently used by training units. It was handed over by LP 5 (Aviation Regiment No. 5) on July 8, 1950 to the Aviation Training School. From April 1953, it served with No. 4 lsp (Aviation Training Regiment 4) and then was transferred to No. 2 lsp (Aviation Training Regiment 2). Finally, at the end of 1954, it was passed on to No. 1 lsp (Aviation Training Regiment 1) where it completed its service career.   

   

  COL C

  S-199.165, Lt. Vladislav Petráš, 1 Squadron, 18 Aviation Regiment, Plzeň-Skvrňany, Czechoslovakia, July 1952

  This aircraft was test-flown at the end of October 1948 by the factory pilot Petr Široký and on November 23 it was flown to the designated Pilsen Aviation Regiment 4. On March 19, 1950, the aircraft was damaged, subsequently repaired and reassigned to its unit in mid-July of the same year. From April 1952 it was used by the 1 Squadron of the 18 Aviation Regiment at the Plzeň-Skvrňany airfield. On July 23, 1952, this Avia, codenamed PS-15, was flown by Lt. Vladislav Petráš who was performing a training flight. During it, a technical malfunction occurred, and the pilot had to make an emergency belly-landing near Trhové Dušníky, Příbram district. In such a landing, the aircraft suffered only minor damage, especially to the propeller blades and was subsequently repaired.

   

  COL D

  S-199.310, PFC Josef Mucha, Aviation School Regiment 5, Zvolen, Sliač AB, Czechoslovakia, August 1952

  This “Mezek” was assigned to Aviation Regiment 7 on August 4, 1948 and flew first with the Staff Flight coded JP-1. Later, it was assigned to No. 3 Squadron, and its code was changed to KT-3. On March 9, 1949, it was damaged during an emergency landing near Boskovice and was sent in for factory repairs. Staff Captain Truhlář conducted an acceptance flight on July 14, 1949, in Kunovice and on August 17, 1950, the aircraft was transferred from Aviation Regiment 1 to the Aviation School. Later, after repairs at Avia, it was assigned to Aviation School Regiment 5, where it received the code UL-51. On August 26, 1952, a take-off was aborted by PFC Josef Mucha, causing damage. No further records are available. This aircraft is listed among the ones delivered to Israel, although the records of its service in Czechoslovakia contradict this. The same can be said for S-199s Nos. 302, 307 and 311. Of the five “Mezek” aircraft produced by Aero and delivered to Israel as part of the second batch of fifteen aircraft (ten being delivered by Avia), only the case of No. 287 is certain. As part of its service with the school regiment, aircraft 310 was given yellow markings, indicating its function as a trainer. These consisted of a band on the spine at the rear fuselage and stripes on the upper sides of both wings. The wing stripes wrapped around the leading edge before terminating behind it on the lower surface. Interestingly, although the aircraft lacked the wing-mounted machine guns, at least in available photographs, the spent cartridge collector bulges remained below the wings.

   

  COL E

  S-199.340, Lt. František Kratochvíla, No. 3 Squadron, 51 Aviation Regiment, Mladá, Czechoslovakia, July 1952

  Not much is known about the early service of this aircraft. It was manufactured in the summer of 1948. The aircraft underwent general overhaul in Kunovice from June 5 to November 20, 1950, and served with the Police Air Patrol service briefly (this aviation arm of the Police was disbanded on December 23, 1950). In May 1952, it was assigned to Aviation Regiment 51, where it was first assigned to No. 4 Squadron and then served, after reorganization of the regiment, with No. 3 Squadron, which retained the original Police code of its aircraft (numbers B-0311 and higher). On July 30, 1952, the aircraft made an emergency landing in Zvolen while being flown by Lt. František Kratochvíla. This aircraft was one of a number that retained their simplified Police markings, including the red nose, horizontal stabilizer and elevator. The army roundels on the wings were overpainted in a darker colour than the camouflage coat. The same color was used to adapt the insignia on the rudder from circular to triangles with curved edges. It is not known what specific color was used, but it may have been a darker shade of green used later on the S-199. 

   

  COL F

  S-199.531 Lt. Václav Dvořák, No. 2 Squadron, Aviation Fighter Regiment 3, Brno-Černovice, Czechoslovakia, April 1953

  This “Mezek” was test flown on April 19, 1950 and was one of the last of this type produced. From June 12, 1950 it was assigned to the Air Reserve (LZ 8) at Zvolen Air Base with assignment to the VLT (Air Force Headquarters) in Prešov. Later it was transferred to Aviation Regiment 3, which was part of 22 Air Fighter Division, comprising units flying piston engined fighter aircraft. There, “Mule” 531 served with the code GY-35. On April 5, 1953, Lt. Václav Dvořák made an emergency landing with it due to an injection pump malfunction. The airframe was written off. The aircraft was visibly worn at the time with numerous signs of repairs to the original paint, which had been made in a darker shade of green. The engine cowling was apparently a replacement unit from a machine painted in the later, darker shade, but darker spots were also visible on it. These were likely the result of contrast between fresh and faded paint of the same shade. Similar signs of repairs were found on older Avia S-199s of the unit.

• Markings for P-51B/C Mustang Birdcage canopy 1/48

  COL A

  P-51B-5-NA, s/n 43-6315, Lt. Col. James Howard, CO 354th FG, 9th AF, Lashenden, Great Britain, April 1944

  The nickname Ding Hao was a Chinese expression for good luck that Jim Howard brought to Europe from his service in the Far East, where he flew with the AVG. The number of kill marks on his aircraft is misleading, as Howard did not actually down six Japanese aircraft during his service with the Flying Tigers in 1941-1942. The official number of kills with the AVG was two plus one shared, to which he added four enemy aircraft destroyed on the ground. On January 11, 1944, he single-handedly faced a group of about 30 Luftwaffe fighters while protecting a group of bombers. During the action, he shot down four aircraft and damaged several others and in the following days he added two more victories. Due to the pressure from the USAAF propaganda department, he had allowed S/Sgt Marcus Hanson to paint six “rising suns” on his aircraft in addition to six swastikas, even though this did not correspond to his combat achievements with the AVG. Howard’s Mustang later became one of the first aircraft of this type in the 354th FG to be equipped with a Malcolm hood canopy, which was highly valued by P-51B pilots.

   

  COL B

  P51B-5-NA, s/n 42-106471, Lt. Col. John C. Meyer, CO 487th FS, 352th FG, 8th AF, Bodney, Great Britain, May 1944

  The appearance of the name Lambie on Meyer’s Mustang went through several phases. Initially, it was painted black but when the Mustangs of the 352nd FG were given their famous blue nose paint in the spring of 1944, the inscription was first changed to yellow and then was given red shading on the black and yellow lettering as portrayed in this scheme. John Meyer shot down a total of five aircraft flying this P-51B between April 10 and May 12, 1944, plus one in cooperation with others. He added six more aircraft destroyed on the ground. In total, Meyer achieved 24 victories during his wartime career and destroyed another 13 aircraft on the ground. The Lambie II was destroyed on June 7, 1944, when Lt. Clifford Garney collapsed in its cockpit near Bodney while returning from a mission to France and died.

   

  COL C

  P51B-10-NA, s/ n 43-7099, Maj. Alvan C. Gillem II, CO 307th FS, 31st FG, 15th AF, Nettuno, Italy, February 1944

  Alvan Cullom Gillem II, a native of Arizona, served with the 307th Fighter Squadron on Spitfire Mk VIII aircraft and later on North American P-51 Mustangs. He took command of the 307th FS in February 1944. He participated in many missions over Italy, the Balkans, Austria, and Romania. On May 2, 1944, he shot down a Macchi C.205 Veltro and two more aircraft of the same type on May 7, 1944. He also led escort and attack missions on strategic targets in Ploiești and Anzi and received the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his outstanding performance in aerial combat. After the war, he stayed in service and retired in 1973 with the rank of General. The Gillem family boasted a long military tradition dating back to the Civil War and Alvan became the second general in three consecutive generations of Gillems. Not only he, but also his father and then his son achieved the rank of general. His father served in the US Army, his son in the USAF.

   

  COL D

  P-51B-15-NA, s/n 42-106971, Capt. Benjamin H. Ashmore, 26th FS, 51st FG, Nanning, China, autumn 1944

  Benjamin Howard Ashmore fought in the ranks of the 26th FS in 1943/44. He used two P-40N Warhawks for combat flights, which he exchanged for a P-51B Mustang in the summer of 1944. All his aircraft bore the name Anvil Chorus and the emblem of a bull on a map of Texas on the sides of the fuselage under the cockpit. On September 10, 1944, Ashmore, flying a P-51B, led a trio of Warhawks from the 25th FS on patrol north of Longling. There, he engaged in aerial combat with a formation of four Ki-48 Lily light bombers protected by a dozen Ki-43 Oscar fighters. Ashmore first attacked one of the bombers and shot it down. He then engaged the accompanying Oscars and damaged two with his fire. On December 18, 1943, he added one Zero to his tally. Alltogether he flew 78 combat missions during the war. The Mustang named Anvil Chorus III was lost on January 14, 1945. At that time, it was serving with the 3rd FG CACW and bore the name Big Blue Eyes. Lt. Van N. Moad Jr. was killed in its cockpit

• Markings for Fw 190A-8 1/48

  COL A

  W.Nr. 350189, 12./JG 5, Herdla, Norway, Spring 1945

  The end of the war found 9. and 12. Staffeln JG 5 stationed at Herdla. While 9. Staffel flew a mix of Fw 190A-2/3/8s and even the odd Fw 190F-8 used exclusively in the fighter role, 12. Staffel was equipped with the Fw 190A-8. Fw 190s flown by 12./JG5 carried the standard camouflage scheme consisting of RLM 74/75/76 and have been photographed on several occasions carrying the Defence of the Reich yellow and black band on the rear fuselage. The code was painted in blue, consistent with the Staffel, as were the cowl ring and spinner.

   

  COL B

  Ofhr. Walter Köhne, 3./JG 1, Bad Lippspringe, Germany, May 1944

  Shortly after the attack on the Soviet Union, Walter Köhne was seriously wounded. Following a long period of recuperation, on June 4, 1943, he was assigned to 2./JG 1, which at this time was based at Deelen, Netherlands. He flew combat over western Europe up to the end of the war, achieving a total of thirty kills, the majority of which were B-17 and B-24 heavy bombers. The standard camouflage scheme of this Fw 190A-8 is supplemented by Defense of the Reich JG 1 markings, a 900-mm wide red fuselage band, the JG 1 unit emblem and a personal marking in the form of the name of the dog that was the 3. Staffel mascot.

   

  COL C

  W.Nr. 960542, Stab/JG 4, Jüterbog-Damm, Germany, Spring 1945

  Stab of JG 4 used Fw 190D-9 against the Allies and this Fw 190A-8 was likely a reserve aircraft. It was built under license by Norddeutsche Dornier in Wismar and was painted in the standard camouflage scheme consisting of RLM 74/75/76. The JG 4 aircraft that were integrated into the Defense of the Reich system carried a black-white-black fuselage band. The JG 4 unit emblem appeared on the left side of the cowl.

   

  COL D

  W.Nr. 171180, 6./JG 300, München-Neubiberg, Germany, April–May 1945

  Fw 190A-8, WNr. 171180, built by the parent company, was discovered by the Allies at the end of the war at the airfield in Neubiberg, not too far from Munich. Damage sustained during taxiing on April 24, 1945, was never repaired. JG300, as a Defense of the Reich unit flying over Germany, marked its aircraft with a blue-white-blue 900 mm wide fuselage band in 1945. The previous red fuselage band was discontinued in January 1945 and kept only on aircraft serving with JG 1. The original fuselage crosses were overpainted and replaced with simplified versions in black. Similarly, the fuselage code was replaced with the yellow 4.

   

  COL E

  W.Nr. 172733, Uffz. Ernst Schröder, 5./JG 300, Löbnitz, Germany, October 1944

  The aircraft flown by Ernst Schröder in October 1944 carried II. Gruppe marking in the form of a horizontal bar in the Staffel color behind the fuselage cross. The slogan Kölle alaaf (Cologne forever) with the Cologne Coat of Arms appeared on the left side of the fuselage, while the name of Schroder’s girlfriend, Edelgard, appeared on the right. In November, the II. Gruppe marking disappeared under the 900 mm wide red band on the rear fuselage. At the same time, the coat of arms was complemented with shadowing as was the second part of the inscription. Also an exclamation point was added. The name of the girlfriend took on a fancier appearance.

• Tail End Charlie

  So, What New Things Await Us In 2026?

  
  

  Text: Jakub Nademlejnský 

  
  

  January is traditionally the month when Eduard reveals in detail the plans for the next twelve months. That is, mainly for the first half of the year. The second half is traditionally sprinkled with too many variables dictated by the amount of time between now and then. That makes it hard to implement any plans with certainty. We always have a general idea of what we might be able to accomplish, but you know how things are going in the world lately. Today, you never know when some leader of a great power will decide to start a war with a foreign country and change the course of the world, which, to no one’s surprise will carry smothering consequences for a small country, even one as capable as the Czech Republic.

  Although you will already be familiar with the main points from Vladimir Sulc's editorial for this newsletter, I would still like to elaborate in more depth on a few key ones that I have something to say about, since I am part of the team that works on these innovative projects.

   

  Alien

   Alien is clearly our most complex decal project to date, barre none. You have certainly heard a lot about it, and if you haven't heard enough about it, I recommend you listen to the Eduard podcast with Zdenek Nozicka. But I would like to write about something else here that is not talked about much with respect to this project, and that is the riveted decals. I think this will be the first time that someone has done something like this. The idea is that the individual decal segments in the Alien kit will be riveted directly using the same technology as we used to produce rivets as a separate product for the Mi-24V. The set was very popular at the time, it was very successful, and over the years I have seen several built Hinds with these rivets on the Internet and at model exhibitions. And I have to admit that they really suit this helicopter. They are a prominent feature of the real thing. The procedure for producing such decals is as follows. First, the decal itself is printed on decal paper. This is then varnished with a full-surface varnish. After the varnish dries, raised rivets are printed onto the decal using our UV printers and the topcoat underneath serves as the carrier. So do not remove this varnish from the model under any circumstances if you want the rivets on the model to last. The test prints look great and I am very much looking forward to feedback from modelers. If such a concept is accepted, as I expect it will (looking at it strictly as a modeler), it opens up new possibilities for us in the field of model design and what can be practically offered to the modeler.

   

  Events

   I would like to continue by touching on exhibitions, where we have two new events worth mentioning. This year, for the first time, we are adding the Glue & Glory event to our events calendar, which is taking place in Deredingen, Switzerland. We will be presenting new products on site, and we plan to organize seminars there, so if you are traveling inn the vicinity, definitely stop by. Regarding E-day, I would like to add that in addition to the fact that it will be a multi day affair and in the summer, we will also expand our scope throughout the area and occupy practically most of the Zahrada Čech working area. This will mean two additional halls, more space for people to move around or room for refreshment stands, etc. We are also planning other new events for E-day, and we will keep you informed about all of them. It’s seriously shaping up to be a good one. Stay tuned….

   

  3D Prints

   Since we introduced 3D printing as a direct and practical manufacturing aid in 2021, this year we are celebrating the 5th anniversary of its use. I think it has been a great five years, full of dynamic development. Today, we only have one of the machines on which we started production. The others have been replaced with much more modern machines, the production capacity has also been increased and, given the boom offered by the Hybrid concept used in kits being developed here, it will be dramatically increased this year. At the same time, we will continue to modernize this year and keep up with and implement the latest printer technology. Phrozen, whose printers we use for printing our new Hybrids, is already supplying distributors with the latest 16K resolution printers and we will definitely include them in our 3D printer arsenal.

  I will also talk about these and other bits of news at the modeling get together in Prostějov, which will take place this Saturday, January 10th, on the premises of the sports stadium there. I cordially invite you all to this event. I wish you all a happy and successful 2026!

  The very first Brassin set produced in 2021 by direct 3D print.